A Million Miles in a Thousand Years

our cg chose to read this book for our new study: A Million Miles in a Thousand Years: What I learned while editing my life by Donald Miller. i had been wanting to read this book ever since i visited a friend back in january and she was just finishing reading it and kept talking about it.

i didn't know what to expect since i had heard mixed things about his other popular book, Blue Like Jazz. we've only read through part 1 so far, but i think i'm liking it. his writing style definitely takes getting used to, but i enjoy his stream of thoughts b/c it's kind of similar to how i think about things. he also poses a lot of questions or talks about things he reacted to and i find myself wondering how i would've reacted had i been in that situation.

i also think that being able to discuss the book with the other gals in my cg helps me to find the main thoughts or thought process of the book....granted this first section didn't have a ton of deep stuff to talk about. i'm definitely looking forward to reading deeper into the book and excited to see what God might show me through it.

oh one thing that i found interesting is that the author talks about how "the saddest thing about life is you don't remember half of it." which made me think of this blog and why i wanted to start blogging again.....so i don't forget or have something to help me remember different events of my life (big or small). which is why i'm here writing this post. i love it when you read something and it "intersects" with something else going on in your life.

i finally bought it!

well, i finally did it. after a lot of "thinking about it" i finally moved forward and bought a new car. when i think back on the whole process, it's kinda funny (kinda sad) how i really do "think" about things a long time before i actually "do" something about it. but for those that i don't see or talk to very often, it seems like it's an impulsive thing.

the truth is....i actually take a long time to make decisions like this, but when given the right motivation (i.e. God pushes me or i get fed up with "thinking" about it) i can go out and "get it done"!

so i've been actually thinking about buying an impreza since the beginning of 2010. i got kinda serious when i finally test drove it back in early sept, but then i sat back and thought about it again for another month and a half! then finally when the rain started and fall really began to set in, i realized that i better get a new car or at least some new tires b/c i began feeling really unsafe driving my jetta. in fact, i would often pray as i drove my jetta b/c i was afraid a tire would blow or i would skid out of control. and THAT was the motivation i needed to get going.

It's time to say goodbye...

yes, it's finally time to say goodbye to my beloved jetta. it's been a great car and i loved it very much. it was my first "big" purchase after entering the working world (also, my first real loan). i loved the color, i loved the moonroof, i loved how the lights inside were neon blue and red (one valet guy said it was like a dance club inside my car), i loved how comfortable and smooth it is to drive in.

but i feel it's time for me to move on....my jetta is slowly breaking down. i've already gone through an expensive round of replacing things (water pump, brakes, timing belts, etc) a couple of years ago. now it needs more work again (tires, windshield, maybe more). i feel less and less safe and secure driving it and with winter around the corner...well i just think it's time.

so i've done my research, i've submitted my request to dealerships for quotes and i'm praying that this new car buying process goes smoothly and quickly. i REALLY hate this process, but i'm hoping that by going with the online/email route it will save me some stress from dealing with the salespeople. so far so good....i've got quotes from 4 different people and i feel pretty good about being clear with what i want. hopefully within a week i'll have a new car! i can't wait!

but then again, i also feel that tinge of sadness as i realize i'm that much closer to having to say goodbye to my jetta *sniff*

Restless

i've become more and more restless lately...restless in my sleep, restless in my work, restless in just my life in general. i'm not sure what it is, but i don't like the feeling. i don't know if i can explain it really....i don't feel it all the time, there are times where i'm truly enjoying doing the things i do. but as soon as i'm done with that, i start to feel restless again and then there are also times i'm "doing" something and i feel like i'm just "getting by" in life instead of really living it.

anyways, this is NOT a good feeling...i hope i'll figure out why i'm feeling this way so i can get out of this funk.

Hot Yoga Report #2

so i went to my 2nd session of hot yoga today, and the class i went to was a different type of yoga than my first session. the first session was hatha and today's one was power yoga. the way it was explained to me is that hatha has a lot of poses/positions that you go thru and is more about balance and breathing while power yoga is a lot of movement and works on your core.

this time we started with breathing again but instead of having us inhale through our nose and out through our mouths they emphasized trying to only breathe through your nose b/c it helps to keep your heartbeat slow. i liked this better b/c i feel like breathing either in or out through my mouth causes me to feel like i'm not getting enough air.

and then we started doing these various movements and poses and the 2nd half of the class had a lot of pilate type of moves that worked your abs and core. i could tell why they called it "power" yoga, you really feel like it's working on strengthening your body. there were also more guys in this class....i could totally see how nfl football players could dig this. it was definitely challenging and i think i'll feel it in my muscles a lot more after this class.

overall, i didn't have any dizzy or nauseous feelings this time. i don't know if it's b/c i was getting used to the heat or b/c all of the movements make me focus less on the heat and more with trying to keep up and do it all. i think i'll give hatha another chance to see if it's better now that i'm adjusting to the heat. and i will definitely try to go to more power yoga classes.

on a funny note, one thought that did cross my mind during the class was that i think my face sweats a lot more than the rest of my body. i swear i was the only one that was constantly wiping sweat away from my eyes and mouth. kinda gross but good for my pores :)

one other note to self, after hot yoga i feel really good cause i got a good workout but my brain is kinda scattered and it's hard to remember that i have everything (2 towels, mat, water bottle, bag, keys). tonight i lost one of my towels, i think i dropped it somewhere. *sigh* there goes my "good deal" if i keep losing things.

Church History as a Witness of God's Mission in the World

so the title of this post is the title of the class lesson i just went to tonight. i know, it does not sound very interesting nor exciting. but surprisingly, it was the best talk about church history that i've ever heard! (not that i've heard a lot of talks about this subject since i'm not really interested in it and can never stay focused on the topic)

the speaker was the guy who is in charge of spu's school of theology and he basically gave a cliff notes version of church history with the emphasis on how the gospel was spread to "the ends of the earth". it was very impressive as he showed us how this actually came to be and very exciting to see how Jesus predicted this in Acts 1:8 when He said "You will be my witnesses....to the ends of the earth".

then the speaker gave highlights of each of the centuries starting in the 16th century. he highlighted what the major schools of thought and movements were in those times but he made it interesting by showing how it tied into how/why the church is where it is today. it was seriously the best cliff notes version i've ever seen and it made sense too...i didn't get lost in all of the heady, philosophical stuff. he even threw in some interesting notes about women's rights and the prohibition.

and at the end of it all, it wasn't just history for the sake of knowing history, but i learned about why there's a division amongst churches and how our mission needs to change so that people may see the "evidence of the grace of God" (Acts 11:23) through His people. and i also loved how he brought it all back to Jesus' prayer for his disciples (John 17:15-18). that we are called to live in the constant tension of living in the world (being relevant and not kept apart from it) and yet not a part of the world (we should not be consumed by the world so that we blend in). i loved the "constant tension" part b/c it's so true that it's difficult to live in that and not to give in and go to one side or the other which is what causes division between churches and christians.

great stuff....if you're interested in hearing this talk i think it will be posted online sometime...i'll put a link to it once it comes out.

Hot Yoga Report #1

YOUR MISSION (if you choose to accept it):
Take a Hot Yoga class and make it all the way through and decide to go again 9 more times in 1 month

MISSION PREP:
drink lots of water before going to the class; make the many trips to the bathroom due to the increased water intake

MISSION GEAR/EQUIPMENT:
yoga mat, 2 beach towels, water bottle and $10

MISSION TEAM: vw, hw and kk

MISSION STATUS: 1st session - completed

MISSION LOG:
when i got to the yoga studio, i was excited but also pretty nervous b/c i didn’t know what to expect. in fact, that was the biggest reason i wanted to try hot yoga...b/c i just couldn’t imagine the intense heat that people talk about. i debated whether or not to bring both beach towels into the room w/me. it seemed like overkill and a lot of stuff to carry (2 beach towels, my yoga mat and water bottle), but vw suggested that i bring it all...so i did. and i was VERY HAPPY i did.

when we first walked in, it was definitely HOT, but i was surprised that it wasn’t as bad as i had imagined. i had imagined feeling like fainting or throwing up the minute i walked inside. instead, it was a nice toasty warm...kinda like getting into your car that has been sitting outside all day in the sun in hawaii. we got situated and i lay down to take it all in...it felt good.

then the instructor came in and the class started, it still wasn’t too bad. i realized i really suck at breathing. i can only inhale for about 2 seconds when we were supposed to inhale for 6. guess that means i don’t know how to breathe right. then we moved on to balancing poses. i started to struggle not b/c of the heat but b/c the balancing was hurting my arches. sweat was beginning to also trickle down my face and into my eyes and mouth...pretty gross feeling. starting to feel really glad i had another towel.

then we moved to the ground and that’s when the heat really began to get intense for me. maybe it was b/c i was lying still a lot and could only think about how hot it was and i could also hear my heart pounding too. that really shocked me! all we were doing was stretching and holding some poses, how come my heart was pounding so hard?!?! i took frequent breaks during that last session when we were on the ground. there was one point where we had to kneel and reach to the ceiling and i suddenly understood why people sometimes puke in hot yoga. i had to immediately sit down and lie down and focus on breathing which i again realized i suck at. but it passed and i kept doing as much as i could before taking a break.

towards the end i also began to understand why the instructor had told all the new people that the goal for your 1st class should be to stay in the room for the whole class. i thought she was joking when she said that you may feel like getting up and leaving but just sit or lie there and get through it...mind over body. i now understand why that should be your goal b/c it is hard to make yourself stay there when you feel like you’ve had enough for your first time.

but we made it through and the absolute best feeling was stepping out of that room and into the cooler air and drinking some of the cold water they have outside. sooooo GOOD! it was after the class that i realized how relaxed i felt and how good it will feel to go to sleep tonight.

SESSION 1 COMPLETED: it’s a good thing vw and hw signed up with me b/c we’ll need each other to keep accountable and to make sure we get our use out of this deal. plus, i want to see if it really does get easier and better with each time after. i totally give props to all my friends who do hot yoga on a regular basis...it is definitely a workout! i’m sorry i doubted it...my only impression of yoga before this was a 24hr class i took and i hated it b/c i didn’t feel like i got a workout and it made me yawn a lot.

NEXT MISSION DATE? tbd (maybe friday, anyone want to join us?)

POST-MISSION NOTE: i drank so much water after the class that i peed 4 times in 1 hr. crazy! but i feel so healthy!

hot yoga

i'm super excited for my 1st hot yoga experience tomorrow! i've been so curious for years and i finally decided to try it out and experience it for myself. i've heard so much about the heat, and while i'm not particularly fond of heat (i actually hate it) i just can't imagine heat like that and feel like i need to experience it to know.

i'll report back after....

hello world...i'm back!

Wow, it's been 3.5 years since I last blogged! I've thought about blogging again every so often over the past few years, but like a lot of things in my life, I just put it off. This summer I came really close to starting it up again when a friend whose blog I read occasionally did a 30 day challenge. She challenged herself and her husband to blog every day for the month of August. It was fun reading the posts as she reflected over the past year and got "caught up".

Now, I don't write nearly as well as she does (not even close) but reading it did inspire me to want to start blogging again. I was a great reminder of how great it is to have a log of events and experiences I've had in my life. (sadly, I also realized that my memory is not what it used to be and with how technology-filled my life is I can't even think about writing in a journal anymore)

So I'm finally doing it! I've updated the links on my blog...got rid of the old student blogs and replaced it with baby blogs (wow, does that show my age or what). Surprisingly, I didn't really need to edit many of my friends' blogs (most of them have kept up with blogging) but I did add a few new ones I like to read.

And now I'm set and ready to go! ....now what to blog about? hmmm, I think I'll need to sleep on this and start slow. :)

*Edit: ok, so as soon as I posted this I scrolled down on my blog to read my last few entries and it looks like I attempted to start blogging again in 2006 and then again in 2007. So history seems to indicate that this might be my only post of 2010. But perhaps this time will be different...