Endurance

I watched the movie "Amazing Grace" again today.  There is no way you can watch that film and not be impacted.  Whenever I watch it I want to go out and change the world! (So it kind of stinks when I have to get up and go to work the next day).  The movie is full of inspirational quotes.  One of my favorites is this:

We're too young to realize that certain things are impossible. So we'll do them anyway!

 The movie does indicate that it's because of Wilberforce's Christianity that he is such a devoted abolitionist.  However, it is not the main focus of the movie.  Watching the movie reminded me that I had a book called, "The Roots of Endurance" by John Piper.  The book looks at the lives of 3 men, including Wilberforce.  I got it out and began reading the introduction.  He wrote that after doing his research he found that underlying everything these men did was their joy in the cross of Christ.  He writes, "They are united in their delight in and devotion to the cross of Christ as the ground of God's righteousness freely imputed to them through faith alone as the root of all righteous endurance."

That was an attitude adjustment for me.  After watching the movie I was so fired up but I found myself saying, "I want to go out and do something." But it's not about me.  It's about Christ and his glory.  That's why we want justice in the world.  

Recently Mark Driscoll wrote on his blog about activists versus contemplatives.  He said when it comes to our spiritual lives people naturally fall into one of these two groups and that we need to work to balance out our weaknesses.  I tend to fall in the activist camp. When I'm passionate about something (stop human trafficking, for example) I want to go out and do something right away.  But I need to make sure my passion is rooted in Christ.

Another great quote from the movie is from John Newton: 

Although my memory is fading I remember two things very clearly: I am a great sinner and Christ is a great Savior.

Anniversary

Many of you already noticed how I slipped up and wrote "trainers" in my last post.  Uh oh.

This weekend I celebrate my two year anniversary of moving to London.  I'm not sure what to say other than that but I thought you should know.  It's been a "brilliant" two years.  My life has changed in many ways. I'm still amazed the way God threw this curve ball into my life (and keeps throwing them) but I'm enjoying the adventure!

Sporty??

I've been going to a physical therapist- or a physio, as they call them here.  It all started when I was feeling some pain in my heel and went to the internet to self-diagnose.  I was afraid I might have tendonitis in my Achilles tendon.  It turns out I don't have that (that's why you should go to a real doctor and not self-diagnose!) but I do have a lot of tension built up in my leg muscles which is aggravating my tendon.  Apparently it is because I have flat feet so all the mileage I've been doing has put extra tension on my inner leg muscles.  So now I have to wear trainers with inserts as much as possible until my leg gets better.

Yadda. Yadda.  My real question is this: When did I become sporty enough to get a sports related injury and have to go to physical therapy? Something strange has happened.

Lucky

Lucky we're not in the Grand Canyon this week. I'd prefer to not be in the situation the rescued boy scouts were in. I've been concerned with training to hike with a lot of weight on my back, not how to survive flash flooding. My friend also gave me a book she's reading about all the people who've died hiking in the Grand Canyon. Although I'm choosing not to read it at this time I'm told most of them died because they have no common sense. At least I have common sense - and a guide!

More excitement

Today I got a flyer for Papa Johns in my post box! I could barely contain my excitement.  There is Dominos Pizza here but that barely qualifies as American pizza.  I know Papa John's isn't necessarily the best, but I think it's the best chain pizza in America.  I've seen a few around the UK before but nowhere close to where I live.   Now there is one nearby so I can get delivery! Guess what I'm having this week?

I love icing

I love cake.  To be more exact - I love icing.  Cake really just exists to hold up the icing.  Some people shy away from the pieces of cake with too much icing.  I always pick the piece with the most icing!

Today my friend Shari took me to The Hummingbird Bakery which is an American bakery in London famous for their cupcakes.  The red velvet was tempting but I went straight for chocolate with chocolate icing.  Yum!

Role reversal

Awhile ago I posted about my recurring school dreams. This week I had a role reversal within the dream. Instead of being a student I was a teacher! I was late for class, unprepared, no supplies and didn't even know what I was supposed to be teaching. I just can't win!

Jelly Babies

I haven't really thought of anything interesting to say lately. This post won't be terribly fascinating but I thought I'd share my newest favorite "sweet" in the UK. Of course you already know about my love of gummy candies and this is the newest addition to my collection - Jelly Babies. They are also gummy candies but a slightly different texture to gummy bears, gummy worms, and Haribo. Although the name is clearly disturbing (apparently they used to be called Peace Babies), I find these are more juicy and have the best flavor.

My favorite color is red, obviously. Does anyone actually prefer the yellow and green varieties of any fruity candy? Everyone always likes reds the best. They are the first to go and I always end up throwing away the extra yellow ones.

Today's good news

When I did my latest bank transfer I got an exchange rate of £1=$1.89. Woo hoo! That means my dollar is worth more than half of a pound!

Spotlight on: Microfinance

Find out how you can get involved in micro loans and make a difference.

Kylie

Along with Blur and Robbie Williams, you can add her to the list of acts that are huge in the UK but haven't managed to crack the US market.  Kylie Minogue first made her name in the Australian soap opera Neighbours before going on to pursue her music career.  She moved on to become a pop diva - except in America.  Her only hits in America were "Locomotion" and "Can't Get you Out of My Head."

Recently recovered from breast cancer, her latest album X has some pretty good dance pop tracks.  I've gotten much more into dance music since moving here, and have also become a little less of a music snob.  My friend Shari had an extra ticket for Kylie's concert at the O2 last night so I went along.  It was a good show.  (Although when it comes to my favorite pop concerts to date, Justin Timberlake would win that contest.) She had about 8 costume changes and different sets which was different.  I knew about 1/3 of the songs but came home and downloaded a few more afterwards.  Her newest dance tracks are the best, the rest are a little bland.  I recommend downloading "Wow" and "2 Hearts."

Spotlight on: Hagar and IJM

Here is an email update I received from Hagar International:

As many of you know, we have been anticipating an NBC Dateline program featuring Hagar's Aftercare Program for several months. The program was planned as a follow-up to a 2003 raid on Phnom Penh brothels, which was led by International Justice Mission and which NBC Dateline accompanied undercover. Girls rescued at at very young ages have been in Hagar's care ever since. Four girls in Hagar's care were interviewed by NBC's Chris Hansen in January.

NBC has posted a segment that includes Hagar footage on their website. The eight minute clip first highlights another organization in Cambodia, and the last half includes the story of 'our' four girls, and their recovery. Entitled "New Hope for Rescued Girls" the piece includes interviews with Talmage Payne, Hagar Cambodia CEO, and Sue Taylor, Senior Manager of Hagar Children's Programs. As you will see, it is a story of hope and resilience, and we admire the girls's willingness to share their stories. (If the clip doesn't start automatically for you, go to 'Dateline' at the bottom left, and scroll through the options to select 'New Hope for Rescued Girls.')

You can see other footage and read the program transcript elsewhere on NBC Dateline's website. We appreciate the network's attention to this egregious human rights abuse, and we hope it inspires a new level of awareness, concern, and generosity across American viewers.

Hagar's work is made possible by charitable donations, contributed by those who share our passion to serve girls like Tieng, Yau, Loeum, and Tau. These are girls who share the darkest of pasts, but who now face the future with dreams and plans. If you share our passion to serve the exploited, destitute, and rejected, you can make a difference. Donate now to help us restore more broken lives.

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I can't help feeling like the man in the video who felt like he had to do something.

official results are in

The official results for Trailwalker have been posted and we finished 69th out of 295 qualifying teams (not to mention the 502 teams that started)!

Next time think twice

Let me first start out by apologizing for the lack of maturity in this post.

I saw this website advertised on a van this morning: www.ukbarfclub.co.uk. Now that's a club I don't want to join. I think someone should have thought twice about that name! I have since learned that BARF stands for "Bones and Raw Food" which is in reference to a certain type of pet diet.

That got me thinking, "Do they not use the term 'barf' for vomit in the UK?" Naturally that led to a Google search. When I searched "barf" all the listings were for this particular type of pet diet. I then confirmed in an online UK slang dictionary that barf is slang for vomit. Finally, I had my mom do some research to see what came up if she searched from the US and it had similar results to my search in the UK.

So...why would these people ever choose the acronym BARF? Clearly it means vomit so why would you choose to use it for something serious? I suggest you search it on Google. The results are a treasure trove of teenage boy jokes. Here is a sampling of the results:

Barfworld
Barf for Beginners
What is Barf?

This will lead you to many more interesting sites such as:

Barf Tips & Tricks
Genuine Barf Diet
Become a Barf Distributor

Lastly, you may want to add the Barf Blog to your Google Reader blog roll.

trapped

I’ve been without a passport since mid June and I’ll probably be without one until the end of August. I’m feeling trapped by the situation. I wouldn’t have traveled in July, but I had hoped to travel in August. Also, I’m feeling a little homesick right now so combine that with the fact that I couldn’t come home now if I wanted to is making it all worse.

It’s probably all in my head since the chances of my coming home on a whim at this time of the year are low given my work responsibilities anyway. Also, seeing lots of people going on vacation this time of year has me feeling it more. I will just have to hold out for the end of September when I come back to Cincinnati and go hike the Grand Canyon. (I better have my passport back in time for that!)

Climatized

Yesterday it was a high of at least 80 degrees in London. That's what the weather web-site says but I think it must have been hotter. I remember a few weeks ago I was complaining that it was rainy and 60. Now it's finally summer and I've realized I can't take the heat like I used to. I was surprised by the temperature when I walked outside! With no air conditioning or good ventilation to use as an escape I find that once it gets above the lower seventies it's just too hot. I enjoy the heat but I need some air conditioning or a pool to help me cope...I'm just thankful it wasn't this hot last weekend. We were definitely lucky about that.

Another movie recommendation

It's been out for some time now, but if you haven't seen "August Rush" then go rent it today. I remember seeing the previews and thinking it looked good but I was a little worried about how cheesy it might be. However, any cheese that's it in is well worth watching. It's Mr. Holland's Opus-esque, but I think it's better (or maybe it's just because I've gotten tired of Mr. Holland's Opus). It's a touching story and the music is amazing. Anyone who likes music will like this movie. To quote Rich Mullins, "I want to hear some music once again 'cause it's the finest thing that I have ever found." I won't give away the final scene but here is something to catch your interest.

Mamma Mia on the big screen

Last night I saw "Mamma Mia!" the movie version. Not surprisingly, it was great! If you haven't seen the musical or the movie I definitely recommend going to see it. It's silly but fun. Meryl Streep was brilliant. She seemed a little over-dramatic but I suppose that was her character. Pierce Brosnan, on the other hand, should make sure he still has a career as an action hero. Singing is not his forte. In fact, much of the theater started to giggle when he first started singing. It's just a little hard to take him seriously in that context. Richard Gere pulled it off much better in "Chicago." Despite this, it was a great summer movie!

interesting note

One year ago last weekend I ran my first complete 5k (I've done one 5k before but I walked part of it). It's interesting that exactly one year later I walked 100 kilometers. I don't expect to keep up that pace forever.

crazy? I was crazy once...

It's finally over. As many of you know, last weekend I hiked 100 kilometers in 22 hours and 40 minutes. It's strange that you train for something for so long and then it's just over. But trust me, during the last 20 kilometers it felt like it would never be over.

Overall it was definitely worth it. I feel a great sense of accomplishment to have finished it. I would even do it again...if I only had to walk the first 80 kilometers. The last 20 kilometers were about the most painful hours of my life. The race was divided into 10 kilometer chunks and those last chunks seemed to drag on forever. By that point I had serious blisters and my ankles ached every time I took a step. Much of the trail was rocky and uneven so my ankles were constantly having to adjust to maintain balance. Interestingly, the uphill parts were easier than the downhill parts because the impact on my feet wasn't as painful.

502 teams of 4 started the race and although 83% of individuals finished, only 287 complete teams finished. According to the provisional results, we finished in 94th place out of the 287 complete teams. However, they robbed of us our time so I hope that the final results have the correct time. Even so, we finished in at least the top 1/3 of complete teams and even higher if you consider how many teams started. The fastest women's only team finished in 20 hours and 46 minutes so if we were ranked among women only teams we would be even higher! I was very excited when I learned our ranking because we were really just trying to finish it and were shooting for around 24 hours. So to come in less than 24 hours and so well in the rankings was exciting!

At the beginning I couldn't get my mind around just how far we had left to go. Once we had 10ks under our belts it was easier to keep going. Those last 20 kilometers were all in the mind. I don't think any amount of training would have prepared me for that. I originally signed up for this thinking it would be easier than a marathon because it was walking, not running. However, I'm thinking maybe a marathon would be easier. I'll think about it. For now, I'm taking a break from walking and then setting my sights on the Grand Canyon.

I've almost fully recovered now. I won't show you the pictures of my feet underneath the tape. Suffice it to say I had a lot of blisters and I've been limping on my feet the last few days. But now I can put full weight on my feet and the swelling in my ankles is going down. Woo hoo!

Right now I have some pictures on Facebook, but I'll update my website soon. At the top of one of many hillsSunset...and sunrise...finally FINISHED!