Simple gifts

Something that has been on my mind quite a bit lately has been my relationship with God and how I am maintaining that relationship. I am very much a believer in God and try to be a faithful woman and a "good" Catholic (whatever that really means). Attending church lately has been difficult because of Ben's insistence to not sit still and be as loud as possible...I don't blame him! When you are loud at Sacred Heart, there is an echo and it is pretty cool! So I have been trying not to get stressed out about the whole church thing and find other ways that I can be faithful and spiritual.

There are two things that I have heard recently that I have been trying to focus on. They are both simple and I think it is important for me to remember that:
1--Prayer is simple. This was the message from the visiting priest at church this past weekend. I never really remember the details of any homily, but the main point that I felt he was making on Sunday (or at least what I am taking away) is that prayer is not complicated. Prayer is nothing more than a conversation with God.
2--Doing good for others is doing good for God. This was the message that I took away from the priest at my mom and dad's church a few weeks ago. How simple is that!? Giving to others and doing good for others can be done in so many ways, and in doing so, we do good for God.

I know that some people would tell me that there are so many ways to be spiritual that don't involve going to church, and I believe them. However, I know that for me, going to church really adds to the physical part of my spirituality and faithfulness, so I enjoy going. I can definitely tell the times when I am not mindful about this aspect of my life. When I do keep it in the forefront of my mind, it seems like other things are more in line with what I would like them to be.

I know that continuing my faith journey as Ben gets older (and as I get older) will change and I have to be OK with that. Hopefully if I keep these two thoughts in my mind, I won't get bogged down with the larger concept of it all! I guess the thought of simplicity is something that could be applied to every aspect of my life. I don't need things to be complex or difficult to understand. And as one of my favorite church hymns reminds me, "tis a gift to be simple."

One door closes and another one opens

OK, I can see how that blog post title could seem kind of ominous, but this post is not ominous at all!!! Just two things...I have finished one goal and I am going to try something new.

First: yesterday morning I reached my goal of running 100 miles this summer! I passed 100 miles yesterday morning with a simple three-miler. What an awesome feeling! I never thought I would be able to do something like that (see earlier post about being a wanna-be-runner). So now what? Of course, I am not just going to quit running. I think I am going to sign up for a 10K that will be here in Columbia in October. I am looking forward to running a race that distance. Another part of the RLAM book talks about running races and finding a good distance for yourself, etc...I have done some 5Ks and I enjoy those and I have finished two half-marathons (sounds nuts, huh?) and I think it is time that I try something between both of those distances. October 2 is when the race is and I think it will be a good one! Also, I got new running shoes! I have branched out and away from Asics and am trying out a pair of Nike Free Run+ in purple, lime green, and grey. So far so good and they are super cute!

Second: I have new challenge for myself. This morning at the gym I was catching up on the Manic Mommies podcast**. The topic that they were discussing was how many hours that are in one week (168 to be exact) and they interviewed the woman who wrote a book about this. One of the exercises that the author suggests is to keep a time log or diary. What I gathered is that according to her "research" there is plenty of time in a day/week to work and sleep and still have time to be with your children or whatever you want to do. After hearing all of this this morning, I decided that I am going to check this out. Starting on Sunday I am going to log my time and activities and at the end of the week, or 168 hours I will be able to see what I do with my time. I think this will also help in my search for what I want to do with myself. Maybe not. But I think it will definitely show where my time is spent and what my priorities are.

One more thing...a sorority sister of mine has started a new blog that focuses on positive body image. I have thoroughly enjoyed the posts and I hope you will too. Check it out: Channeling Your Beauty.

**Sometime in the near future there will be a post dedicated to this podcast/website. Keep your eyes peeled.

What is success?

As I wrote in my previous post, I know that I have to define what success is to me. This was a topic during one of the sessions at Convention last week and it has been a constant thought in my mind since then. Success is subjective for each person, but as a society, we put so much time into judging others' success. I think that is why it is so daunting to think about!

When I am online or at work or wherever, I feel like I am constantly seeing other individual's successes. At conferences, people are given awards and their success is shown. On TV and in the news, stories are told about people and what they have accomplished. All of these things make me want to do great things too...but I am getting hung up on what success I want? How do I make my own success? What does success even mean to me?

Being the "good" student affairs professional that I am, I have been trying to look at this from the "SMART" goal perspective. My thought process behind this is that if I can think of two or three goals that I have for myself, I can put them on paper and create a plan. Doing so will help me process a little easier this whole success concept, right? Not so much. I am still stuck! I can't even figure out what I want to do in order to write out some goals!

I don't know that I would call this a quarter-life crisis (although if I am just now only a quarter way through my life, I am OK with that...I have much more to see and do!). But I find myself really struggling with the question "where do you see yourself professionally and/or personally in 5 or 10 years?" I really have no clue.

I guess on one hand, I am happy with where I am now. But on the other hand I am getting fearful that I am being complacent and will wake up horribly unsatisfied one day. Maybe I am over-analyzing (my close friends would say I am good at that). But maybe not?

So for now I am going to focus on the little things: I am going to complete my 100 miles of running for the summer and try to blog two or three times a week. Eventually I will start thinking a little bit more of how I define my success AND how I am going to achieve it. How do I stay loyal to myself and what I want and not get caught up in what society says I should do?

We'll see how this plan goes.

The magic of sisterhood

This past week I had the opportunity to attend Sigma Kappa Sorority's 84th Convention in Orlando Florida. This is the second time I have gone to Convention (it only occurs every 2 years) and I will be honest, I was a little apprehensive about going. I was excited to go to Orlando and be a part of the Grand Chapter celebration, but it would be the longest I had ever been away from Ben and I was still getting used to being involved in my sorority as an alumna member.

However, this past week at Convention was an amazing experience; "magical", if you will. I work with Greek students every day and talk to them about how joining a fraternity or sorority is a life-long commitment not just a club that you participate in for three or four years in college. And although I have been involved with Sigma Kappa since I moved back to Missouri, I didn't really feel the sisterhood aspect. Until this past week! I spent five days with inspiring women from all over the country. The business of the sorority was done over the time that we were all together and we celebrated our ritual together. We ate and danced like fools at the Confirmed Conventionite Celebration. And we spent an evening at the happiest place on earth: Disney World!!! My time with sorority sisters of all ages was an experience that I won't forget. I realized this week in Orlando what being a life-long member of a sorority is all about. I know that the sisters that I connected with over the last five days will be in my life for the duration. I also know that I am more committed to Sigma Kappa now than I have ever been. I know that I am inspired to be the best me that I can be every day. I know that I have to define my own success. And I also know that I have to put all of this into a conversation that I can use with the students I work with at Mizzou. Hopefully my experience will help show them that it is not just about four years.

I am looking forward to Convention in 2012 in Houston, Texas. Until then: personal growth, loyalty, service, and friendship will remain my focus.

As American as apple pie and baseball

This past weekend, we celebrated the Fourth of July holiday at Chris's parent's house in O'Fallon, Illinois. We had tons of fun swimming and hanging out with family and friends. Ben was a trooper and on Sunday was the life of the annual Fourth of July party! And I am pretty sure he ate his weight in fruit in a matter of twenty minutes or so. He was a riot!

The best part of this weekend was our trip to Busch Stadium (baseball heaven, you know). For Father's Day, Ben got Chris tickets to the game and of course, it was Ben's first Cardinals game. It was a blast!


Two of the things that I really love about baseball games are the food and the people watching. I think that these are Ben's favorite parts as well. We had all of the game-day musts while we were there: hot dog (Ben's first), pretzel, nachos, and ice cream! Ben loved it all (as with most food). I think the best part though was the nachos. The lady across the aisle told us that Ben should be in a nachos commercial! Ha!

The best part about our weekend though, was the family time that we spent together. It was nice to not worry about work or anything else and just enjoy being together. This was a weekend that I know Chris or I will never forget. I am sure that Ben won't remember in the long run, but we will definitely fill him in when he is older. His first Cardinals game was a great one! The Redbirds lost (big time) but the experience we had will definitely be one for the record book!

Ready to run

I decided that since I had a few personal days to use at work that I would take them this week. This morning, I was able to sleep in a little bit and then I went for my morning run with Chris and Ben, instead of by myself like normal. The run was awesome!!! We ran a little more than 4.5 miles and I ran the entire way! This was the longest run that I have done, running the whole thing. It felt good and to top it off the company was great and the weather was amazing (especially for the first of July).

My run this morning really made me think about the progress that I have made on my journey to become a runner, not just a wanna-be runner. Chris started the Eagle Running Club at the beginning of the summer and I set a goal to run 100 miles over 3 months. I thought I would be able to hit 100 if I really stayed committed to running a few times a week. Well, my current total is just over 60 miles!! The running program that Chris has helped me with is working out! I run an average of 4 times a week and I am getting stubborn about not running less than 3 miles in each outing. And I am even starting to enjoy it quite a bit!

There are many reasons that I want to be a runner. I think it is a huge challenge and one that I want to conquer! Running is also something that has become my personal time. Whether I am on the road or at the gym, it is my little slice of the day (typically first thing in the morning) to get my life organized for what is ahead. I am amazed at how different my days are when I don't get my exercise in! Another reason would have to be the physical results. That could never be a negative thing. Finally, one reason that I want to be a runner is something that was pointed out in the new book I am reading: Run Like a Mother. By being an active parent, I am making physical activity the norm in Ben's life and not something that is done at recess or in gym class. And I think that is really cool. That makes me feel like I am earning some good mom points by running.

So the moral of the story is...if I can do it, anyone can do it! If you want to run, pick a route and get going!