I'm tired of pretending I'm not a big deal

No I am not making this statement about myself. This was the name of our Ragnar team, inspired by the one and only MJ Henshaw (she's another one that should be famous... see previous post:)

This weekend for over 48 hours I was in a minivan with 5 other people. Running, driving, not sleeping, still recovering from being sick, and trying to stretch out overworked and very sore muscles... and it was one of my favorite experiences ever. I'll write more later. Pictures for now. Upstate NY is the location.

Team spirit captain.

The matchy scratchy scrunchy miracle. Thanks for humoring me girls.

And MJ reveals her thug self. Some kind of pre-race prep.

I feel like a pre-soccer game pic from Kathleen's high school years somehow got mixed in here. Kathleen, hopefully this is a compliment but you look like a teenager getting ready for your varsity soccer tournament.

And we're off! Beginning of the race... just a couple minutes after the actual start time:)

MJ's first leg! This woman was really excited for her. I don't think she even knew that MJ was recovering from a torn ACL and surgery. Emj you're a rockstar. Literally. Thanks for the dance parties.

Cory embracing the fun shades. Thank you for humoring me:)

Dave owning his first run. It was probably the most understated run of the first leg. Also the most difficult.

Cory and his Vibrams... taking off, looking like a pro.

Probably the best picture of the weekend. This girl made running look like a cake walk.

Team minus Ryan and Lauren. This was the first... or second?... of our slightly less than perfect exchanges.

The runs were beautiful. Scenery plus a van full of friends cheering for you equals much more motivation to run well.

Pre-9.9 Very Hard. Thank you for the pep talk team.

Dave running in the dark. Let's just say he and I adjusted our routes just a little on our second legs to make sure the total mileage of our team was a nice round 200 miles rather than a measley 197. Teammates, you can thank us later.

Ryan was the first in our group to be done with all three legs. I must admit some covetousness on my part. Momentarily.

The team. Done. So happy. So sore. So tired.

Thank you Cory for being our faithful race driver. And Dave for getting us there in record time, and Ryan for driving back when everyone else was sleeping and you probably wanted to pass out.

Missed high five. One more box to knock off on the bingo grid. Thank you for the priceless pic Kathleen and Ryan.

Boston Market post race, post showers. I think I told them 'look how you feel'... which would mean that Ryan is feeling like 'Melissa, I'm done with your stupid pictures. I'm officially pretending you don't exist'. And Kathleen is feeling like 'I am so tired, so glad it's over, but so happy all my planning and hard work paid off and everyone had a good time'. And MJ has reverted back to her teenager persona of 'so done with this. I am such a big deal and people don't even get it half the time'. And Cory is zen. I believe he is meditating. PS thank you for the zen music on Sat. I think that was approprite. And Dave is thinking 'Oh good, I knew someday this Abercrombie pose would get captured'... well he probably wasn't actually thinking that but nice pose anyways.

This was our 'goofy' pose. That should tell you about our level of exhaustion. I say Genevieve wins for best pose.

Rob provided some quality entertainment. Seriously, sometimes I wish I had the ability/lack of pretense to do something like this.

They should be famous

I'm just going to brag a little... about two people who are really really amazing. I could actually do this for all of my friends. I sometimes wonder how the heck I met such incredible people, and am satisfied with just feeling grateful for a consistently undeserved blessing in my life.

Sheryl. This says it all.

Patrish. Where to even start with this girl. She is my friend and roommate and one of the most down to earth, talented, humble, outgoing, fun, beautiful in every way people I know. She is a loyal friend. Her faith could move mountains. She remembers the little things that are important to people and really cares about others. She is a 'friend who knows', and will be a 'mother who knows' (referencing Sister Beck's address). And I LOVE when she sings. Here is one of my favorite songs ever. She just so happened to compose it along with Amy.
A song by Danny Cranny (not very well known accoustic and vocal artist)makes me think of her: "...she's childlike. She sees life simple. It's clear, to her. She sees the little things, that people miss. They're big and bright to her. She sees by faith, not fame, to take her higher..."

Above and Beyond

Grading over 150 Spanish essays can be a little daunting... to say the least. My students know I have many weaknesses, and returning papers in a timely fashion is just one of them. But I figure if I'm going to be spending a good portion of my life grading, I should enjoy it. Well my students make that pretty easy. One, by writing some pretty impressive essays in general. And two, by writing some pretty entertaining things.

Recently my students wrote about how to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Most essays consisted of phrases like 'You should eat fruits and vegetables', 'I like salad with chicken and fruit salad. It is delicious and healthy for the body', 'Exercise is important', you get the point.

Well one student went above and beyond. The fact that Spanish is his first language may or may not be relevent. Keep in mind this is Spanish 1. Some excerpts:

"Empezamos con comida. Vamos a hablar de las seis categorias de comida..."
(We will begin with food. We are going to talk about the six food categories)

"Carne tiene proteina y es muy importante para tu cuerpo. Ayuda el cuerpo a reparar y construir... Tambien te ayuda con musculo y tener energia."
(Meat has protein and is very important for your body. It helps the body repair and construct... It also helps with muscle and to have energy.)

And the best part...

"Pan tiene fibra, y fibra te ayuda a ir al bano, para ayudar a los intestinos a empujar la basura del cuerpo para fuera."
(Bread has fiber, and fiber helps you go to the bathroom, in order to help the intestines push the body waste out of the body)

He went on to talk about the benefits of calcium in dairy products, the importance of healthy fats... this kids knows what he's talking about with health. Until I got to his argument for why a hamburger is the perfect food. I don't know if I agree with this one:

"La hamburguesa... tiene carne, granos en el pan, lecherias en el queso, verduras con la lechuga, frutas con el tomate, y se cocina con grasas."
(Hamburgers... have meat, grains in the bread, dairy in the cheese, vegetables with the lettuce, fruit with the tomato, and it is cooked with fat.)

Needless to say this essay received a very high grade. Thank you for making my job fun:)

Easter

This year's Easter was one of my favorites. I think it started with actually
thinking about the events of Christ's life earlier in the week. On Friday I thought about how Christ's desciples must have encountered one of the greatest trials of their faith on that afternoon after Christ's crucifiction. They knew the promises but they could not see them fulfilled yet. Sunday morning came as a reminder that He does fulfill ALL of His promises. And as repeated throughout the day, the best news we could receive is that He lives. That alone can bring hope to any depth of despair and light to any darkness. It can heal any pain.

These beautiful flowers are from a friend's bridal shower. Sunday morning we tied Easter messages to each rose and Patrish, Jenny, and I delivered the flowers to the residents at the retirement home. What is it about flowers that brings a smile to peoples' faces? We met so many people who were overwhelmingly grateful for such a small gesture. I thought of how all these people have lived full lives and have families and were once independent. And instead of being bitter or frustrated they are choosing to look for the blessings and opportunities in a difficult situation. We went in with the intention of blessing them and walked away with the feeling of being more blessed.

The morning started out with brunch (thank you Jenny for the awesome idea and roommates for making it happen) and an easter egg hunt. Eggs were hidden all over the house (and I actually found two eggs in the tire cavity of my car three weeks after the event... no idea how they stayed there. I must be a REALLY good driver) and filled with candy and some random goodies (remember twisty straws? those things made me so happy when I was little). It was a beautiful day. I was surrounded by some really amazing people who I am lucky enough to be friends with. Church was uplifting and renewing as usual, but the Easter program was especially beautiful. I tried not to think about leaving it all. That is what I am doing lately. Enjoying the moments. One day at a time!