Swimming...It's not as easy as it looks

In addition to the yoga I've been doing over the last couple of weeks, I have now added swimming to my weekly workout. On Mondays, to be specific. The pool at the YMCA is open year-round, and it's heated, which is a plus for me. I don't do cold water. (As in, nun-uh, ain't gonna happen.)

Let me tell you, Michael Phelps and the other Olympians made it look way too easy. I was never on the swim team, but I know the freestyle stroke and back stroke, and a very, very poor breast stroke. After 50 yards (which is one lap down and back), I was panting. It really increases your heart rate! In my very unexpertise opinion, I think it has something to do with the breathing (besides all the other work your body is doing!). In yoga, you are supposed to be very focused on your breathing, taking deep breaths in and out through your nose. Even when I used to run (also very, very poorly for anyone that knows me), I was told to try and stay focused on your breathing, in and out through your nose, very steady. But with swimming, it's a whole different ballgame, because you're holding your breath, and then breathing very quickly. I haven't quite got used to it. I was explaining my problem to Brett on Sunday night, and he suggested breathing every 3 strokes. I tried it, and it did help, but it's just going to take some getting used to. And, getting back in shape wouldn't hurt either.

All in all, though, it's a lot of fun. It's a really quick workout, and something I enjoy. I can't imagine what it takes to swim all day, like Michael Phelps does. I certainly have a greater appreciation for everything the Olympians accomplished. Here's to all of you.

Love this one!

A favorite of mine from childhood. Hope you enjoy it as well.

Southbound on the Freeway by May Swenson:

A tourist came in from Orbitville,
parked in the air, and said:

The creatures of this star
are made of metal and glass.

Through the transparent parts
you can see their guts.

Their feet are round and roll
on diagrams--or long

measuring tapes--dark
with white lines.

They have four eyes.
The two in the back are red.

Sometimes you can see a 5-eyed
one, with a red eye turning

on the top of his head.
He must be special-

the others respect him,
and go slow,

when he passes, winding
among them from behind.

They all hiss as they glide,
like inches, down the marked

tapes. Those soft shapes,
shadowy inside

the hard bodies--are they
their guts or their brains?

When life gets busy...

you start thinking about the better things in life. So this week has not been fun for me. I have a HUGE test Monday afternoon and pretty much have done nothing this week but study and study some more. So tonight when I got home from the library at 10:30 on a Friday I started thinking about my favorite place, the place that relaxes me the most....this may seem a little weird...but its definitely the Great Smoky Mountains. ( I guess this was some odd exercise of mine to get my mind off of HTN, hyponatremia, hypokalemia, metabolic acidosis...you get the point). But anyways, this is where we went on our August vacation. It was the perfect vacation, no agenda, just sleeping, laying out, and of course the OLYMPICS! We stayed up almost every night to either see Micheal Phelps swim or Nastia Lukin and Shawn Johnson compete in gymnastics. So fun. I love it there. You should visit.

Happy Birthday to my Favorite Sister

A big shout out and holla going to my sis, celebrating her 23rd birthday today. I couldn't imagine what my life would be like without you. I love you. Happy Birthday.

Book Review

Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers

Several years ago, a dear friend of mine recommended a set of five books to me and graciously loaned them to me to read. It was called The Lineage of Grace Series and was written by Francine Rivers. Each book told the story of a different woman within Christ's genealogy. These five women are Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheeba, and Mary. I was instantly hooked. She had taken characters and stories from the Bible, and written a work of "fiction", which gave me the opportunity to discover what these people had possibly felt, experienced, etc. It's easy to forget that these people were real, or that they had emotions, and all the circumstances surrounding their particular situation. She had taken these real people, and put them in perspective, if you will. It gave me a deeper understanding and appreciation for these women, and Mrs. Rivers instantly became a favorite author of mine.

This past spring, I finally got around to reading The Scarlet Thread, which I devoured in about a week. And, over vacation, I read Redeeming Love in about three days. (Seriously, I must warn you. You cannot put these books down. They pull you in and you will find yourself staying up til the wee hours of the morning to finish one more chapter. Okay, consider yourself warned.)

My sister had previously read Redeeming Love as had several college friends. Many said, "It will change your life." Now, I can't say it "changed my life", but I did thoroughly enjoy it, and it paints a BEAUTIFUL picture of God's amazing grace and the work He does in His children's lives. It is a powerful retelling of the story of Hosea from the Bible, set in the 1800s, I believe. If you are unfamiliar with the Book of Hosea, I'll give you a short summary. Hosea is a prophet who was instructed to marry a prostitute. God talks to Hosea about what he goes through each time the children of Israel rebel against him. If you think of it this way, we are the bridegroom of Christ, and we continually turn our back on him to run to our other idols and things of this world. To put it plainly, we go whoring after the world, when we have been redeemed completely from it. Yet, he continues to love us, and always will love us. He wants us to find complete fulfillment in Him, and not in anything else. God talks to Hosea about how Israel has valued the things of this world and runs to those things, when he is offering something so much better. In Redeeming Love we get to know Angel, who has been mistreated since she was young, and sold into prostitution at a young age. We travel West with her, where Michael Hosea meets her, and takes her from the brothel to come and be his wife. And from there, well, you'll have to read it!

When you finish it, you will continue to think about it for some time. It's just one of those books. I highly recommend it, along with any of Francine Rivers' other books. Next on my list... And the Shofar Blew.

YOGA!

I joined our local YMCA Sunday night for the sole purpose of starting Yoga. I have been wanting to excercise for months now (see earlier New Year's Resolutions), but unfortunately, I can't motivate myself to go run, or lift weights. Probably because I don't particulary enjoy running. (You should hear stories from my cross-country running days. As much as I would like to enjoy running, I've never hit that "runner's high" I've heard so many people talk about, and my times were always terrible. You can ask anybody in my family.) But, I just knew if I could take up Yoga I would enjoy it. It seemed like my kind of workout - peaceful, relaxing - yeah, that's my kind of workout.

So, I looked at all the classes all the different Y branches offer, and I chose to go to Hot Yoga on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 5:45. Last night was my first night. I walked into the room and it was completely dark except for two very dim lights on both sides. It was also very quiet, and very warm. Thus, the "hot" part. When we started, the instructor played some soothing music, and we slowly progessed from the various positions, or asanas (sp?). The workout (from what I could tell) slowly built up. The most strenous excerises were in the very middle of the workout, and then you slowly work you're way back down. The entire class lasted an hour. At the very end, we laid on our backs and completely relaxed, eyes closed. I didn't realize how relaxed I had become until I moved back into the sitting position!

At the end, I felt I had worked every muscle in my body. I'm looking forward to seeing how my flexibility and strength increase. I'm still learning a lot about it, but it's very focused on stretching and breathing. Best workout I've ever had. I'm definitely looking forward to going back tomorrow night!

If one time is not enough...

Try FOUR times! If any of you have ever had any doubt that we should be singing praises to God, read this ONE verse:

"Sing praises to God, sing praises: sing praises unto our King, sing praises."
Psalm 47:6

I was struck by this verse when I read it today. As my dad is fond of saying, "If the Bible tells us something once, we should pay attention to it." In this case, we're told four times in the same verse to sing praises to God. It's so simple and wonderfully refreshing. In the New Testament we're told to "sing and make melody in our hearts." So, it doesn't even have to be audible. We can sing praises anywhere.

"Praise Him, praise Him, Jesus our Blessed Redeemer."