Running With Perseverance

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday (The Ceramics Edition)

Posted on May 11, 2011 by Coco

One of my daughter’s masterpieces:

And another:

(She took most of her other pieces with her to college.)

Some of my son’s pieces:

My Mother’s Day presents!

Working with print transfers (front view)

Working with print transfers (top view)

Large + Small

Worth every penny of those studio fees, don’t you think?

Posted in Life | Tagged Beauty, Empty Nest, Family, Love, Proud Mamma, Wordless Wednesday | 5 Comments

New York City!

Posted on May 9, 2011 by Coco

Monday I was in New York City for a business meeting. Yes, I gave up my Mother’s Day dinner for a solo meal at a little place across the street from my hotel. At least they had a nice pinot noir by the glass. 🙂

I stayed at a “boutique” hotel with a lovely New York City view:

I knew the gym situation would be dicey when the website noted that we could use a commercial gym nearby. Still, I packed my workout clothes with an open mind. When I checked into my room, this caught my eye:

I asked the concierge if it was safe to run that route in the morning, and he did not hesitate when he reassured me that it was a safe and popular route. I don’t usually run outside when I’m travelling, but I so loved my run along the river in Chicago that I really wanted to give this route a try. I’m a sucker for a running path along a river!

I woke up early and headed out. The route to the river was downhill, and I had to stop at a few traffic lights. I reminded myself that this was New York City and the drivers would not slow down for me even if I was in a cross walk! I decided to count that segment (about 0.6 miles) as my warm-up and reset the RunKeeper App on my iPhone once I got to the path.

I reached the path at a little park and decided I would run 20 min out and then turn around and head back. This was the view when I first started out:

And on my way back:

(That’s the Empire State Building on the left)

When I finished my run, I took this picture to show how far I had run. Can you see the bridge way in the distance?

I did encounter a number of runners and walkers, and generally felt safe. Phew.

I mostly walked the 0.6 miles back uphill to my hotel, although I picked up the pace to make a green light every few blocks. I stopped at the Starbucks on the corner for a “grande bold” to make sure my morning was as perfect as it could be!

RunKeeper Data:
Total Distance = 4.65 miles; Total Time = 42:09; Avg. Pace = 9:04 min/mil
Mile 1: 9:03
Mile 2: 8:37
Mile 3: 8:51
Mile 4: 10:42
(I stopped to take pics and had *issues* coordinating restarting the RunKeeper App and putting my phone back in my arm band so there is some dead time in that last mile split.)

Posted in Fitness | Tagged Business Travel, Gadgets, RunKeeper, Running, Starbucks | 13 Comments

Happy Mother’s Day

Posted on May 8, 2011 by Coco

Happy Mother’s Day!

We are celebrating next weekend when my daughter will be home from college, but my Mom brought me this yesterday, because that’s the kind of Mom she is!

I hope you have a great day!

Posted in Life | Tagged Empty Nest, Family, Love, Mom | 3 Comments

Chicken Soup For My Soul

Posted on May 6, 2011 by Coco

Last night I had to go straight from work to a meeting at church. I had saved half of a large sandwich from a lunch meeting to eat for dinner, but was seriously craving soup for some reason. Traffic was heavier than I expected, so as I got closer, my options for any dinner were running out. I knew there was a Chicken Out® on my way, and I was pretty sure they had soup, so I decided to stop there.

The chicken noodle soup sounded like the best option: chunks of white meat chicken, whole wheat noodles and the usual vegetables like carrots and celery. I didn’t check the nutrition information, but it did have their ♥ symbol, which I know identifies healthier choices. And, looking at the nutrition information after the fact, I was right. My 1.5 cup bowl had:

Calories: 211
Fat: 6 g (2 g saturated fat)
Sodium: 396 mg
Fiber: 1 g
Sugar: 3 g
Protein: 30 g

And it was delicious and very filling.

I couldn’t miss the big signs for their “healthier dessert”:

I didn’t have time to try it, but I will be back! It looks like the fruit-only varieties have 275-300 calories, but I’m sure that’s for a generous portion. I’ve been intrigued by this whole “banana soft serve” craze since I first read about it on Tina’s blog (Faith Fitness Fun), but for some reason I still haven’t tried it.

Anyway, I was able to slurp down my soup and make it to my church meeting right on time.

The meeting was an “exploratory” meeting about discerning a vision of pastoral care and spirituality at my church. There were about 20 of us, We sat in a large circle in chairs arranged around a stand with several candles. Once we had greeted each other and gotten settled, we started with a few minutes of silence, and then a prayer. We reviewed and discussed the “Discernment Listening Guidelines,” and agreed that they create an atmosphere that not only ensures that everyone’s voice will be heard, but also allows room for hearing God’s voice, which is the overarching goal in a discernment process.

Even though we didn’t get very far in developing a “vision” or deciding exactly what we want to do, the experience was enlightening, uplifting and very spiritual. There is something about the practice that stays with me and leaves me in a more peaceful, contemplative state—maybe others experience that with yoga or meditation.

We closed with “A Prayer of Thomas Merton,” which I adore. How can you not pay attention to a prayer that begins:

God, we have no idea where we are going.

In my own words, the message of the prayer is this:

We don’t know what we’re doing, or if we’re doing what God wants us to be doing. But, we are trying, and God appreciates that. We hope that we are doing the right thing, and know that God will lead us in the right direction. So, we put our trust in God, and know that God won’t leave us alone.

Or, even more succinctly: