Starting Again

In the new year, it seems to be the tendency of many to begin something new, or to pick up old hobbies/practices/diets.


There are pots of tea that wait for mugs and friends and conversation.
Blank composition notebooks waiting to be filled with thoughts, dreams, prayers, and worries.
By my bed, books of reflections and deovtions wait to be read and thought and prayed over.
There are sermons to write and preach.

My bike has been largely stationary, waiting to be a bike instead of a sculpture, since I fell off of it in March last year.
There are SEVERAL containers full of fabric and a much-neglected (although not as much recently) sewing machine that beckon me to act in creativity.
There are pots and pans and recipe cards that could all use a workout.
There's a gym membership that is waiting to be renewed.
Dance shoes that want to go on my feet and move me across a floor.

And, lest we forget, syllabi, books for class, papers, exams, committee meetings, and pile upon pile of paperwork that will cross my desk in the coming months.

And a (very cute) calender that I'm not sure will hold it all.

But, you know, so many of these things are soul-filling, and necessary.  There are things here that contribute so much to who I am and who God means for me to be, and I think that the power of a support system and the sanity saving of that calendar and those lovely to-do lists it'll happen.

And if it doesn't, life WILL go on.

Soapbox

Consider yourself warned, but, no matter how many times it is said, it can always be said one more time.

Wear.

Your.

HELMET.

I don't care if it's a short ride, if it looks silly, or if you think you're too cool for it.  It could save your brain.  I'm not exactly a beginning cyclist, and certainly no expert, and I fell off my bike recently- not in traffic, and I am fine- and I hit hard enough to break my tailbone and crack my helmet.  I walked (okay, hobbled...) away from that because I was smart enough to protect my noggin.
So please, friends.  Protect yours.  We are tasked with the care of God's Creation, and we have to remember that we are indeed a part of that equation.

in a skirt?

Aren’t I cute?

You know, there’s nothing remarkable about this outfit except for the fact that I rode a bike in it…

There’s a new movement to make biking a part of regular life, and I have to say, I really like it.

I love how quick and self- sufficient it makes me feel, and I got to get my bike out in the middle of the week and make it a part of my routine. Traffic is a bit scary, but the idea of getting my bike out is the best thing that I can find with it… Being able to make my own breeze and be active outdoors in the middle of the week is just… wow. I love to go on longer rides, and I really need to train up for the longer rides, but nice, short, quick things would be really great too.

So… what do I think of the whole thing?

Riding in a skirt is okay. I think you have to have the right skirt, and I think that if it’s a part of your life, it should be a part of your life on the bike. So fun. So great. I love the idea. And I think I’ll do it again.

I am oficially a cyclist.

Why, you ask?

Oh, because I bought a road bike yesterday.

Friends, this is the 2012 Dolce Compact, an entry-level road bike by Specialized geared specifically toward women.

This is not a picture of my specific bike, but one just like it. I am looking at the real thing right now though... It happens to be sitting against my living room wall right now because I am not going to store it outdoors... I just can't quite bring myself to. And I can't imagine what I would do if it were stolen.

So yeah... I'm hoping I'll be able to ride every weekend there is good weather and I'm sure I'll learn lots more about my surroundings... and push myself on the distances. It's going to be exciting- and I think it'll be a purchase I'll be glad I made. It wasn't on a whim and it felt SOOO good to ride this bike. Yay for pushing myself more in the near future.

In the near future:

the beach

the chaplaincy progress

a "book report"

GREEEEEEEK

I'm screaming that title, by the way... and I should be working on flashcards and memorizing things and relocating to coffee shops where I can study out of visual range of my bed... I have a vocab quiz at 9, tutoring at 8:30, breakfast and study time at 8, and spin at 6... oy.

But, to end on a positive note,

My sermon went well. Would you like to see/hear pieces? I'll pass it on. Comment!

Spin class with bike shoes... clipped in? AMAZING.

And I danced yesterday. SO good to see friends.

I met with my new lifegroup today. Being prayed for in that way... wow. And reading scripture in a group? More wow.

Alright. Greek, here I come.