no car week, how it went

 I wouldn't say it was a compete failure, but it didn't go quite how I imagined either. To quickly own up to things, yes, I drove my car. Multiple times. Most of those times were for good reason. Toward the end, it came more down to being worn out, not just me, but my kids too.

So I guess, I didn't drive my car this week, except for when i drove to...

-Austin (3 hrs) to help my brother unload his moving van
-Conroe (1 hr) to go boating
-the grocery store, the one far away has the best produce/prices
-meet up with friends to go swimming
-buy ice cream with my buddy visiting from Dallas, very important!
-to run around town getting paperwork from girls I work with at church so we can go horseback riding

So, those are the times I drove my van. Full disclosure. It was harder in some ways, but easier in others. My legs are pretty worn out. Towing my kids behind me all over town has taken it's toll. However, the short trips to take Jeff to school, to church activities, to the gym... those weren't too bad. I realized that I can probably continue to only bike for some of those types of things. At least, until it gets too hot.

We're going to continue on our little adventure, allowing ourselves to drive when we need to drive. I think it'll make for toned calves, and a smaller gas bill. Also considering investing in something like this...

The first day, sans car

I have to admit, doing this whole thing probably sounds a lot more ambitious than it is. I live less than a mile from the following:

-Jeff's school
-Nate's pre-school
-Walmart
-the church
-Lowe's
-the park
-the health food store
-Walgreen's
-another park
-the gym
-the swimming pool
-Dairy Queen... that one's a must :)

So really, there isn't much reason for me to drive at all. Scott has a three mile ride to school, but he's been doing that since we moved here. The only hardship, really is the rain.

Yesterday went pretty well. Here's some things I observed:

-Nate scares me to death when he veers all over the road on his bike while cars are passing
-Jeff does a pretty good job of following and not veering
-Gracie does a fine job of sitting on her throne inside the cozy bike trailer
-Nate hates it when I make him ride in the bike trailer to give my heart a rest
-Speeding cars ignite a little bit of anger inside of me - very nearly chased one down
-Walking Jeff to school was peaceful and enjoyable - it's nice to slow down a bit
-It's really not that bad to ride in the rain

Day one, is a success!

No car, just bikes

We've been toying with this idea for a while. We live close to everything we need. Why not park our car and try to make it without. We've had reasons to NOT go forward with it. Rain. Laziness... Okay, maybe not as many reasons as I thought. Anyway, we finally decided that since it's "bike to work week" this week would be as good as any to give it a try.

We'll be putting our keys away, and using our bikes and bike trailer (maybe two if we can get one on loan) to get around town as a family. I'm excited and a little nervous. Can we do it? I think so. I hope so, otherwise anyone who reads this will know I'm a complete wuss. I just don't think I could handle that. So, onto the adventure. I'll let you know how it goes.

Peace out,
Sadie

My marathon

Here's a link to my marathon blog. It gives all the details about my recent run. :)

Enjoy!

Sadie

http://thebattleofthemarathon.blogspot.com

Average

I had an epiphany this week...

If there's one thing about me that I understand very well, it is that I am a very average person in almost every aspect of my life. And I'm okay with that. This isn't a post to solicit moral boosting comments. This is also not a post to suggest that we shouldn't seek the be the best we can be.

Let me explain. I do a lot of things. I would say I'm well-rounded. However, being well-rounded takes time. The time it takes to become an expert in something usually takes about 10,000 hours.

So if I spend the next ten years practicing something for three hours a day, I can become an expert in that subject... Three hours a day. For TEN years! So that basically means that if I live to be 100 years old, and my entire life I work diligently to master skills, I might get about ten.

You can see why this would be a problem for someone who likes to do a LOT of things. If I divide my time too much, I may never become any good at anything. So in essence, I have to come to understand, that I am average. And that is okay. I'm average at a lot of things. Hopefully things that matter.

And THIS is where the epiphany comes. I have learned recently that a gift/talent has been given to me. It isn't anything flashy or exciting that can be done on a talent-show stage, but it is something that can change the lives of those with whom I come into contact. Through the talent my Heavenly Father blessed me with (and prepared a way that I could develop through thousands of hours of practice) I can bless others' lives.

So maybe I'm average in almost every way, but there is one very small way that I am an expert.

"...by small and simple things are great things brought to pass..."

Alma 37:6

Why I don't blog

I've been asking myself, why am I not blogging these days... and I'm not sure I have a good answer. But I have an answer none the less.

It's because...

1. I don't take pictures, and a blog without pictures is lame. And then there's the guilt, that I don't take pictures of my adorable children and the fun things we do.

2. Things are not changing much, life is good and happy and wonderful so what's there to write about?

3. It's because I keep my house spotless all the time and therefore, there's no time to blog... this one is a lie. I waste plenty of time in a day that could be spent blogging. And, my house is not spotless. It's covered in sand from the sand box, toys, books, fruit snack wrappers, and little shoes and socks. I promise I won't lie anymore.

4. I'm busy. While that is true, I found time today to take a nice hour long nap. It was one of those that you have to use a metaphorical pry-bar to get yourself awake. But boy, did that feel nice. The nap, not the pry-bar... that was actually almost painful.

5. I'm busy running, and recovering from running. This is actually true. I've got a marathon in a little more than a month and it seems my life is pretty consumed in preparation. I only run three days a week, but when you get into high mileage, that equates to about ten hours a week. That's like a part-time, part-time job. I'm excited for the day my runs only take half an hour instead of half a day.

So, that's me. That's why I'm not blogging. That's my excuse. But I'm going to try and do better. Maybe if I splurge and get a nice new camera I'll be more motivated to take pictures... and that could be my springboard back into the business. Scott'll love that one. :) "Honey, I need to spend lots of money to buy a new camera so I can be motivated to blog." I'll phrase it differently. It just might work. I'll use my PR skills and see what kind of spin I can put on the situation. Stay tuned.

We're still alive

So yeah, we didn't fall off he face of the planet. We've just been busy. :) I'll resume writing blogs one of these days.