To Blog or Not To Blog...

I just spent a lot of time reading over my blogs from when I lived in the Philippines. It all started because I told someone that I had a bad day, but some days are like that...even in Australia. I remembered writing a blog post inspired by the book Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. It was basically the same idea: I had a bad day, but those happen everywhere and to everyone. I can change every circumstance in my life, and I will still have some days that are just like that.

Remembering my time in the Philippines can be difficult sometimes. I read back over those posts, and it makes me want to go back. Maybe not to the Philippines, but somewhere.  But I'm not sure what the future holds right now. There is excitement and fear in that uncertainty.

I think I would like to pick back up with my blogging, but I am not sure about a specific topic that I would focus on. If anyone is reading this, I will accept suggestions! A few thoughts I had:

1. Teacher life
2. Trying to figure out dating in your 30s
3. Spiritual reflections
4. Book reviews/what I'm reading
5. Don't add another blog to the endless blogs that exist

Let me know what you think!

We did it!

I am very behind in updating everyone on how the half-marathon went. The day was such a blur and completely amazing. Amanda (my running partner) and I actually got things off to a rough start by being late into our wave. Stupid lines at the port-a-potties! But then we were rocking and rolling!

Most of you know that we were trying to run the race in under 2 hours. This is a goal I've had since I came *really* close a few years ago when I ran the National Half-Marathon in D.C. (my time then was 2:01:28). Since that day, I have run a marathon, moved to the Philippines and back, and made some pretty futile attempts to get back into running shape. All of that changed when I signed up for the Richmond Half-Marathon this fall.  I decided to run this race for a cause (a first for me), and it was perfect, because the race takes place in November, which is National Adoption Month. I had recently learned about an organization called Show Hope, which is run by Steven Curtis Chapman and Mary Beth Chapman (if you knew me as the dorky child I was, you know that I was jamming out to Steven Curtis Chapman's hit "Great Adventure" back in the 80's).

In case you are wondering--NO, I did not just watch that video and sing every line correctly, including the back-up harmonies. That's ridiculous...also, I should say that his music has definitely made some progress over the years. Back to the blog, though.

In my head, I thought....well, if I'm running for a cause maybe that will motivate me to focus on my training and really run this race well. Warning: I'm going to be sappy for a minute here. I owe a lot (a LOT LOT) of my success to my running partner, Amanda. She wrote a blog post that included some very nice things about me and how I pushed her to set a new PR, and I think that's what is so cool about running. Neither of us would've done as well without the other person. It's not that I'm a great runner or that she has broken any world records--but together, we were able to train and run harder and faster than we would've been able to do alone. Man, that's a whole other blog post by itself...

Anyway, after the race, I told Amanda that I knew at mile 3 that we were going to come in under 2 hours. I don't know how I knew that, but I was feeling incredible. She was nervous, because as the time-keeper, she knew I was going too fast. I couldn't help it! In the end, everything worked out okay, and I came in at 1:56:42--so, with time to spare! We also (amazingly) caught up with some friends after the race to celebrate our victories. I say amazingly because of the craziness of Brown's Island.

We are SO Richmond in this picture.

 I posted on Facebook the night before the race that we had raised over $1000 to help orphans get placed in their families, and I knew that the support of everyone was going to help me during the race. It did! I felt great most of the race, but anytime I started to feel tired, I remembered why I had even signed up to do this race in the first place. It was all about Show Hope. My personal goal just added a level of interest, and I knew I'd be much more excited to talk to people about it if I had met my time goal as well. So that pushed me to run harder, too.

We look good, ya know?

Thanks so much for the support on the course, but most importantly, thanks for the support for Show Hope and my heart for orphans. Even if you were not able to give financially, it's clear to me that my family and friends are with me in this cause, and that means so much to me. I cannot express my gratitude enough.

November 10, 2012 will always be a really special day for me. Thanks for being a part of it as we showed hope for orphans! Let's continue to think of ways to do that in the upcoming year! Maybe it's your turn to run a race for a cause...

Sick and Tired

The past few weeks have been difficult. I have been fighting a cold and felt extremely exhausted. Amanda (my running partner) and I have hit that part of training where we are running a LOT, and we still have a few weeks until race day. Every day, I feel sick or tired or both. Also, it's not as if I'm spending my days just leisurely resting up--I am trying to maintain order in a room with 24 six-year-olds. Many of them with coughs and sniffles of their own.

Saturday was a big run. Since we are overachievers, we decided to go above and beyond what our training plan had recommended. So, we set out to run 14 miles. During the day Friday, I felt pretty bad, but I woke up Saturday morning thinking, "I'm not going to let a cold stop me from running." So, I headed to meet Amanda for our run.

I should've known we were in for trouble when about 2 miles in, I realized that I had led us off-route in a major way. But we adapted our route and made it work, so crisis averted. We got to mile 5 where we intended to pick up speed, refueled, and increased our pace. I felt GREAT during that mile. We kept going at a good pace, but at about mile 7, we stopped for a minute, and I admitted to Amanda that I didn't think I was going to be able to run at the pace we had set out to maintain. Please keep in mind that this was at mile 7. So, we were halfway there, and far enough away from our starting point that going straight back wouldn't really help. I was going to have to finish the run. And we did it. Together. And slowly. I was so relieved when my watch beeped that 14th mile.

Part of this race is personal. Amanda and I want to break 2:00, and that is important to me (she has done it before, but it'll be a first for me). But a bigger part of this race is about Show Hope, and that is the thought that kept going through my mind while trying to run those last 7 miles. This race is bigger than any goal I set. It's about giving hope to orphans--and by first realizing that I was orphaned, but grafted into God's family. It's about bringing that awareness to others around me and joining together to do something about the 147 million orphans around the world.

That's why adoption is so powerful to me. Because it is a clear picture of the Gospel. God has adopted US into His family, and we will share His blessings, because we are accepted as His very own children.

"But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons."

Galatians 4:4-6

Please consider joining with me by donating just a few dollars.  

A lot of small donations add up very quickly!!

Run for Hope

You know how a girl often gets a haircut after a break-up? Well, if I'm being honest, running was my haircut (I probably got a haircut, too, but I don't remember). I had never really shown much interest in running before, but I felt like I needed something new in my life, so I signed up for the Monument Avenue 10K and started running with some friends. And that's all I thought it would amount to. I would prove to everyone how strong I was. I could not have imagined the impact that one decision would make in my life.  Let's look back over it...

 Here is my first race. See how happy I am? That's because I had just heard some boy comment on how nice my legs looked. Just keeping the blog real, guys. But I knew very early on that running was changing me. There was going to be a new priority in my life. I remember after my first 4-mile run, thinking, "There is NO WAY I can run 6 miles!!" That makes me laugh now. This is a fun first race for anyone interested in running. Sign up here! If you tell me you are interested in running, though, be prepared to talk for a while....  


People always asked if I'd ever run a marathon, and I laughed at them and said (emphatically) NO WAY. But then I started feeling like I needed a new challenge, so I decided that I wanted to complete a marathon before I turned 30. Check. My brother agreed to run it with me, which was awesome. I don't know what I would've done without him. It was special, too, because a few months after we ran this race, I moved to the Philippines for a year. It was a cool brother/sister moment. I know, precious.      

Insert my year in the Philippines. For those of you who don't know, it is HOT in the Philippines. And I hate running in the heat. But, with the support of my running partner Leo, I managed somehow to get out there in the smog and make it happen. In this picture with me and Micah, you would think I had just run a really intense and lengthy race. No. It was a 5K.  Running was really hard in the Philippines, but once you are hooked, it's hard to stop you from running. Below is the picture of the one 10K I did while living in the Philippines. I look happy, right? That's because I was really close to being finished, and I had just taken a walk break. Who takes a walk break during a 10K? Well, most of the runners in this race. They don't call it "hot season" for nothing, people.

 Now I've been back from the Philippines for over a year, and I've been working hard to get myself back into good running shape. My training is going really well, and I'm feeling really good these days. I credit this to a few reasons, but a major factor is definitely my running partner, Amanda Krieger. (gotta reciprocate the blog shout-out she gave me last week--if you want to read her blog, click here. If you want to read her blog post that's all about me, click here. Okay, not really ALL about me.) Anyway, here we are a few years ago on what we called our "Rave Run." Runners' World readers know what we're talking about. Anyway, training is going well, but this year, I am running for a cause for the first time ever. I know, WHAT TOOK ME SO LONG?? I am so excited to be running for an organization called "Show Hope" which helps families who are adopting connect with their children and bring them home. Obviously this is an issue close to my heart because my brother and sister-in-law have adopted two sweet children from China. But honestly, I first felt this pull for orphans when I was in Brazil in 2001. The experience of my brother and sister-in-law has definitely opened my eyes even more, and I want to do something about it. I think you should, too. I write a lot about this, but that's because we need to do something about it. I can't. My brother and sister-in-law can't. But together, you, me, your friend, my friend, their friends....WE can do something about this. There are 147 million orphans in the world. Stop and process that. 147 MILLION.  I won't get all preachy here (at least not today), but I will ask that you please join me as I run this race for hope.

 I am running it for little girls and boys all over the world who don't have parents. Who don't have someone to defend them and speak up for them. These children are most susceptible to abuse, kidnapping, and trafficking. They need a voice. They need people to look up and think--147 million, how can that be? What can we do? Let's do something about it. Together. Join me. Let's help families bring orphans home so they are orphans no longer.

Money is tight. Believe me, I know. I am challenging every person I know to consider giving $2. Just $2. If everyone is willing to give that, change can happen. I am hoping to raise $500 for this organization, and I'd love it if I could exceed that.

Most of you know my niece, Rylie, who was adopted from China in 2010. I can't imagine my life without her. But it took people who were willing to stand up and be willing to make a change. They are not special people (well, they are to me!); they are ordinary people who responded to a call from God, and I cannot even remember what life was like before Rylie (and my nephew, Judah) came into my life. And when you see them, it's hard to not think of how great it would be if every orphan could be placed in such a loving home with a mom, a dad, brothers and sisters, and an opportunity to know Jesus. She has all of that, but her life could've been so different if not for my brother and sister-in-law. And when I think of what her life COULD be like right now, it breaks my heart. Because there are so many other little girls and boys out there who have not been adopted yet.

Just $2. Please consider being a part of the story of another little girl or boy just like Rylie or Judah. Join me. Let's change that statistic. $2 at a time.

Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves

I received an email with this video, and I wanted to share it with you all.  This is an issue that is so close to my heart, and has been since my first trip to Brazil in 2002 when I was able to work in an orphanage in Sao Paulo (WEAG youth is heading there today! Praying that God would touch their hearts the way he did mine so many years ago!).  It has only grown closer to my heart as I've witnessed my brother and sister-in-law adopt two beautiful children from China.  

Show Hope video

Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.

James 1:27

As Christians, we are ALL called to help the orphan. Whether you feel called to adopt or not, there is always something that you can do. Missions trips, volunteering, or donating in some way. I highly recommend checking out this organization, Show Hope, founded by Steven and Mary Beth Chapman. I recently became a sponsor, and it is so humbling to hear stories like this and know that my small part is making a HUGE difference in the lives of families and orphans around the world. 

Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of orphans. Fight for the rights of widows.

Isaiah 1:17

Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves; ensure justice for those being crushed. Yes, speak up for the poor and helpless, and see that they get justice.

Proverbs 31:8-9

Consider it! The story of this little girl was so encouraging, but also heart-breaking to think about the millions of children like her that may not be so blessed. Stop and pray about what YOU can do for those who cannot speak up for themselves. 

Citizens are encouraged to stay indoors and remain calm, cool, and loosey-goosey.

That title is probably throwing some of you off, but I promise it will tie in.  Keep reading...

I posted a blog a while back that had some of my reflections 6 months after my return from the Phils, but I figured it was time for me to post again now that it has been a year since I came back to the States.

First, I have to start by saying that I cannot believe I have been home for over a year now; the memories I have from the Philippines are so fresh and vivid that it hardly seems possible that I have been home longer than I was there. Just reading the 6 month post was difficult for me, because I miss it so much. The top ten list I made turned out to be pretty accurate.

I have never doubted that God wanted me to come home when I did--if I didn't,  I wouldn't have had the amazing class I did this year.  I wouldn't have gotten to know Rylie girl and be home when Judah officially became a Middleton. Those are moments I have cherished.  But I also think there is a really good chance I will end up overseas again in the future.  Just a heads up.  Like I mentioned in my 6 month post, I am split in half.  And that is not going to change.

Most of you know that I spend a big portion of my free time hanging out with high school students. You may find it odd, but I just love those kids. They have so much energy and passion. Here's a throwback to some cool kids I got to hang out with in the Phils.

The servants of Annie!

Which brings me to the inspiration of this blog.  I just returned from WEAG's annual Youth Choir Tour, which got me thinking a lot about what God has done in my life over the past year and what that year in the Philippines meant to me. I have been a youth leader for about 7 years, but I have been slowly nudging myself back in since my return to the States.  Choir tour helped make things feel normal for me again, which is huge for me to say. I loved getting to know a lot of the students better and forming relationships with kids I hadn't really known before tour. When you spend 30+ hours on a bus with 34 kids (right, Nikki?), you get to know them.  Really know them.  And when you spend the night in a church gym with about 50 girls, you build some tight relationships (good morning...ba ba ba....).  The whole experience was awesome, and I feel so blessed to know some of the best teenagers on the planet. I am not bloviating here. That is not even an exaggeration or a proud leader comment (though I am SO proud of them). It is just the truth.  Or, an anti-taradiddle.

In getting to know some of these students, I got to talk a lot about my experiences from high school and give wisdom based on the mistakes I have made in the past. I also got to talk a lot (too much?) about my time in the Philippines and overseas, which I really hope inspires them to spend some time doing something overseas to get a glimpse of the way most of the world lives.  I would not trade my travels around the world for anything, because they truly have made me the person I am today, and I hope that God continues to use me in ways to bring him glory--whether that's teaching overseas, working in an orphanage, or spending 8 days on a bus with teenagers. I guess it's really all about being available. One of my favorite Jim Elliot (missionary to Ecuador) quotes is "Wherever you are, be all there."

One of the fun things we did with our many hours on the bus was Mad Libs.  Here are some funny lines I'd like to share....

"I was echoing so hard that I had freckles running down my bus captain." (this was hilarious, because I was their bus captain)

"This morning I brought a pair of squirrels to class."

"Citizens are encouraged to stay indoors and remain calm, cool, and loosey-goosey."

"He was everything I wanted: tall, dark, and creepy."

"I feel I'm not losing a ketchup, but gaining a soy sauce."

There are too many to list, but it was a very fun activity to fill the time.

In summary: I miss the Phils, I love those WEAG kids, and I am excited to be used by God wherever He may lead me in the future.

Hunger to Hope

  http://sevenly.org/

Please click on the link above and watch that video.  It's amazing what that organization is doing.  When we consider the fact that there is enough food being produced in the world to feed everyone, people going hungry seems ridiculous.  That makes me MAD, and I personally believe it should make each and every one of us mad.  We all have a variety of options for what we could eat for dinner tonight.  The people in the Philippines (and many places around the world) are starving.


For less than $30, you can do something about it!  And get a really cool looking shirt.  Not just any shirt, but a shirt that makes a statement.  A shirt that will remind you each and every time you wear it that you ARE blessed.  Times are tough, yes...but worrying about whether or not we are going to eat is not something that most of us are concerned with each day. 

Obviously, this is extremely important to me, because this week the organization is helping the Philippines.  It's not just a country I love, it's a people group I love and so many of them need something to eat.  Please consider this!! 

Only 3 days left!

 Think about it!