Airbnb: a Great Travel Tool

I’m thinking this Saturday feels very Saturday-ish.  Ours often don’t since we most often have a Tuesday-Saturday work and school schedule.  It’s 2:00 and I’ve just finished some very fine guacamole. Zac and Ian are playing outside and Paxton is napping.  The boys are very happy for their break since we’ve been cleaning this morning.

I’ve been gushing about airbnb.com to a few people, and have promised to link to it sometimes.  It’s one of those names that are so simple you’re sure you’ll remember…until about three hours later you realize you’ve lost it already.   Or maybe that’s just me.

So this is sort of like a bed and breakfast, but with a modern spin. Some of the rooms are in another person’s home. Some are a guest house, sometimes you can rent a home while the hosts are on vacation.  Here’s a video explaining more of how it works.

The search options make finding what you need so simple.  You enter the city, the number of guests, and the date. After that you can refine your search with a price range or type of room you are looking for. Airbnb is worldwide, and it’s fun to browse the website simply to DREAM of travel.

And if you browse pinterst and think, that would be so fun for a few days, but it really wouldn’t work for my life, you might enjoy staying in this treehouse in San Fransisco.  (I wish I could post the video here.  You’ll have to visit the page.)

Here’s a tiny cottage not too far from where my parents live for $39 a night:

If you’re traveling to Atlanta, you can score great deals on Priceline for a hotel….OR how about staying at a place with great personality and local flair?  Here are a few of the spaces on my wishlist:

King Room in Vintage Cottage

This hostess has great decor throughout the house.  I’d love to stay here sometime.  And the price? A king bed is $52 per night, the queen bedroom is $48 per night, and a single bed is only $35 per night!

The Queen Room:

And the spot for one:

Wouldn’t it be fun to get away for a night here–journaling, reading, breathing?

This stylish room is $59 per night:

I could easily relax here!  Yes, here /\ or here \/

This downtown spot is called the New Yorker.  At $95 it’s pricier than some of the others listed here, but also comes with luxurious accommodations:

This contemporary Space? [Deep inhale] That sunshine?  Wow.  That could cheer anybody. At $45 it’s kind of a steal.

Includes a spacious room:

You might recognize the decor style in this bungalow since it’s owned by the same hostess as the first one in this post.  Again, such a cute space and it’s only $47 per night.

Here’s my favorite~

A contemporary loft apartment in downtown.  I would LIVE here if I could; I absolutely love the style:

Another spot in Buckhead for only $50 a night.

One more then I’ll stop.

A Condo in a gorgeous location for $75 a night:

I really did write this post simply because I wanted to share my excitement over a great find.  However I just remembered airbnb has a referral service, so we can help out each other.  If you sign up through this link you will receive $25 off your first booking of $75 or more. I’ll receive a $25 credit if you book or a $75 credit if you host.

Happy travels, and let us know if they land you in Atlanta.

World Geography with Sidewalk Chalk

 

 

Okay, well, truthfully, we were just doodling. 

 

 

It was a warm spring evening, and it felt perfect after two weeks of sickness. We got back home after a nice evening out, and it felt to great outside to go inside.

 Zac and I don’t spend too much time checking perspective or angles.  We draw for fun.  if it doesn’t turn out we might try it again another time, but the joy is in the process.

Zachary’s project:

and mine:

 

A Weekend Run

It seems runners may enjoy telling their running stories the way mothers like telling birth stories.  There is the preparation stage, the apprehension, the confidence, The Main Event with it’s painful battles and moments of easier breathing. Then, finally, there is the exhilaration of crossing the finish line with the support and congratulations of friends creating music for a weary body.  Here’s the story of my first 5K.

The Refuge Run was the first of what will hopefully become an annual tradition for the City of Refuge.  This year we were raising funds to buy desks and furniture for the new educational facility.  [If you would like to contribute, you can do so here.]

Friday evening I went for my last practice run.  It was a good run–one of those times the running didn’t feel so hard and I could enjoy parts of it.  I forgot to check the clock when I started, but I know it wasn’t my fastest time.  I was at peace with running on Saturday–knowing I would come in toward the end, but also knowing I had put forth my best effort.

The true measure of a runner

isn’t in time, but rather

in the effort it took along the way.

Jenny Hadfield

I was a little concerned about the whole eating in the morning thing.  I know my body needs food in the morning or it won’t function.  On the flip side I didn’t want to eat too much and confuse my body as to whether it should work on digestion or running.  I planned to get up early to eat a banana and peanut butter then give it plenty of time to settle.  I had been drinking lots of water that week in preparation.

My friend Rahel and her mother

Friday night we went to bed early thinking we were getting a really long night.  Then Paxton woke around 3:30 and I didn’t get back to sleep until close to 6:00.  Because of that I ended up sleeping later than I planned, but I still ate about an hour before the race start time.

I was feeling pretty calm before the race, and glad the route runs through the familiar territory of our neighborhood.

The cutest running shoes at the race

Saturday, unfortunately, was one of the days when I was not really feeling all that strong.  I shoved it aside until we were doing warm up exercise with Back on My Feet.  Within minutes I was getting very lightheaded–so disappointing and frustrating.  Steve prayed for me, and I promised him not to push myself beyond what I could handle.

Steve and I after the race

The race started, and off we went  I didn’t get the adrenaline rush most people talk about.  It all felt very much like typical runs.  Some days the running is easier and some days it feels hard.  This was one of those days it was tough most of the way through.  Overall it went pretty well, though.  There was the funny moment when the train crossed right through our route!

Our neighborhood has some inconveniences, yet we keep running! –Photo and text credit: Phil Swanson

In the second mile my left leg started cramping.  It had never happened before, so I wasn’t sure if I should pause to stretch it or keep running.  I kept running and after awhile my entire left foot was tingling!  Otherwise everything went pretty much as it normally did–mostly running and some walking up hills.  (We had some steep hills on our route!  Steve overheard some of the guys who run a lot remark that it was a tough route.)

Steve ran his best time, yet.

When I got to the last half mile I knew it was mostly downhill.  I decided to run the whole way even if I would pay for it.  I wanted to sprint to cut down my time a little, but I really didn’t have it in me.

I came huffing in and my friend Rahel snapped a photo of me.

I think she Photoshopped it, though.  Because I’m smiling on this one even though I’m pretty sure I looked a whole lot more like this (minus the facial hair):

Was I ever, ever, ever happy to see that finish line, and I even reached my goal. I had been hoping to come in under 40 minutes, and I did!  My time was just a little over 39 minutes.

I very nearly keeled over as soon as I quit, though.  I ran over to the side to find a place to lean onto.  Steve brought me some water, and I just sat on the ground for a few minutes until I could function again.  I was completely whipped, but also very happy.

Delicious, warm, chocolate chip cookies by 180 Kitchen

It did feel really amazing to know I had accomplished something that took so much training and hard work.  It also felt pretty awesome to look at a group of runners and to know I was one of them.

Awards Ceremony

Racing teaches us to challenge ourselves.

It teaches us to push beyond

where we thought we could go. It helps

us to find out what we are made of.

This is what we do.

PattiSue Plumer

To look back to January when I wondered if it would take me an hour…to February when I wondered if I would have to give it up because I was getting lightheaded so often…to March when I kept trying to build up endurance…to April when I fought the mental battle of being okay with the best I could do…and then to come to race day and accomplish that goal–yeah, that is something worth working for.

I want to keep working at running stronger and building endurance.  I really need another goal to work toward….Anyone want to sign up for a race and be my accountability partner? =)  I just told you how weak I’ve been.  Trust me–if I can do this you can, too!

My friend Jordan and I

Jordan’s sweet baby girl who was in her first 5K as well!

After the race the boys and I hung out with Steve while he worked a few hours.  In the evening we were back for the People’s Truck preview.

The People’s food truck will soon be serving Atlanta their delicious food.  Each meal sold will help fund meals City of Refuge serves to the homeless.  You can see more photos here: People’s Food Truck.

Learning to Run

For quite awhile I had known that I NEEDED to get more serious about exercise.  When I got my health plan with an order for 30 min. of daily exercise and the mission announced a 5K about the same time, I had an incentive and a goal.

It took me a month before I admitted to anyone besides Steve that I was going to run a 5K because ha-ha-ha the thought of me running a little over three miles was just, well, laughable.

It was winter, then, and Steve and Christy do not run in the cold.  And when I say cold I mean 30′s and 40′s.  (Now you know how tough we are.  To our credit: we complain about heat hardly ever) Lucky for us, the mission has a weight room which ended up being a perfect way to get started.  We hit the treadmills every other day, and the boys had space to play in the room with us or the adjacent gym. Often there were even basketball or soccer games to watch.

At first I just tried to get my one mile finished a little faster.  Then I inched my way to two miles and then finally to three.  The day I finally ran longer than I walked was a huge milestone.  Since then I have kept shaving a few seconds off my time, but wow this has been hard work!!!

At first I kept almost blacking out when I ran for a couple of minutes.  I would be holding  the treadmill to keep from falling!  It was so confusing because I often heard people say that you need to push yourself harder and you need to keep going even when you feel like you can’t; yet when I pushed myself I got to a place where I couldn’t keep going.  I finally learned that I needed to accept the limitations of my body now, slow down, and take baby steps.

You know what is really tough?  Not being the best.  Well, not only not being the best, but not being good at something. And even though I feel so good about how far I’ve come, that is still the battle I’m fighting now.  Because I have worked so hard, and I am still slower than slow.

I told someone that I’ve hit a wall and I’m afraid I can’t do it.  She said, “Well, you know you can always slow down and walk for a while.”  Right….but see that’s still part of my routine.  I can’t even get close to running the whole time.   I’ve had a couple of really good days, but I often still get light headed (not so badly that I nearly fall over, so don’t freak out.  Just enough that I have to stop running and really hold it together.)

Tonight I ran (Okay, ran/walked do you have to ask?) the route and had a rough night.  I’d had a smoothie and hour earlier, and now I know not to do that before the race.  Woah, that did not sit well. At all.  I’m feeling kind of bummed because it ended up taking longer than 40 minutes since I got light headed more often again and had to walk for longer than normal–not to mention nearly vomiting a couple of times.

But…now that I’m writing this, and think that my mom (or my doctor, or some other friends) will probably suggest I walk more so that I don’t get light headed, I realize I really want to run.  And that feels great. It is awesome to sometimes look forward to running.

And it’s pretty great to have accomplished this much in a few months.  To go from living listlessly to running most of three miles is pretty great. Did I just use great in each of the last three sentences?  Yes, I think I did.  But all of this is pretty great, don’t you think?

So the run is this Saturday and I’m partially typing out all of this to help myself snap out of my discouragement.  I need to be reminded that finishing is good, that I don’t need to be an awesomely fast runner, and that it’s okay to be competing with the walkers instead of the fastest runners.

If you’re feeling up to a 5K this weekend, you can still register for the Refuge Run here.  If you would like to lope along beside me, that would be especially awesome.

My Health Story Part 2: Treatment Plan

Very funny.  I said I would skip the back story, so that I could write a concise post.  Instead the intro became so long it was a post in itself. If you want to read a little more about the symptoms and diagnosis, read this earlier post.

Here’s the skinny on what’s helping now.  The main deficiency we found is iron deficiency anemia.  It seemed so simple especially after looking in the direction of heart health!

Iron-deficiency anemia occurs because of a lack of the mineral iron in the body. Bone marrow in the center of the bone needs iron to make hemoglobin, the part of the red blood cell that transports oxygen to the body’s organs. Without adequate iron, the body cannot produce enough hemoglobin for red blood cells. The result is iron-deficiency anemia.

The treatment plan for over all health considering all my symptoms not only those related to anemia.

1. Meal changes:

Three meals a day with limited snacking. 

Any previous diet or low-blood sugar diet advice had always suggested three main meals with a small snack between each meal to keep the blood sugar level.  I had eaten smaller meals at breakfast and noon with the main meal in the evening when our family ate together.  Sometimes I would eat a few bites of fruit or cheese in the morning.  If I crashed in the afternoon I was likely to go for a sweet treat or something salty with a glass of tea.  I live in the South.  I don’t need to specify sweet tea, do I? Dr. L said the digestive system is the engine of the body.  Eating throughout the day gives it no break, and eventually wears on its functionality.

Eat largest meal in the morning, or eat at least 20 grams of protein at breakfast. Eat a smaller meal at noon, and the lightest meal in the evening.

My typical day started out with a bowl of bran flakes, fruit, and milk.  I liked it because it was quick, cold, and good.  I do not really like eggshttps://movinginfaith.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post-new.php too much in the morning (particularly if I cook them as soon as I get up), so I groaned when I heard that one.  However, I soon learned Greek yogurt has  20 grams of protein per cup.  Even a little less yogurt will fill the protein quota with the addition of nuts and fruit.

My new breakfast has become fruit, Greek yogurt, pecans, and a sprinkle of homemade granola. Previously I heard people raving about Greek yogurt, but I needed some time to acquire a taste for it.  To help myself get there, I splurged on some special fruit–raspberries or blackberries or blueberries along with strawberries, bananas or oranges.  I know the berries are a great, healthy choice anyway.  It took me a few weeks to grow from quickly swallowing, to liking, to craving Greek yogurt. Someday I may add a post about these fruit and yogurt parfait.  I’ve found a few favorite combinations, and have learned to LOVE this new breakfast.  It is cold, delicious,   healthy, AND it keeps me full and level until noon!  No more shaking, blurry vision, irritability, and extreme weakness in the forenoon!

The two challenges have been the extra time it takes to make healthier, satiating foods instead of grabbing leftovers or chips and salsa for lunch as well as needing to eat my smallest meal at the meal I cook for our family to eat together.  Sometimes a salad that’s a side for the rest plus just a few bites of the rest of the food works great.  Occasionally I make a smoothie or quinoa for myself.   Other times I eat what they do, but limit my portions.

Other food recommendations: Add in more healthy fat, eliminate pork and seafood, reduce processed sugars, eat at least 50 grams of protein daily, more vegetables, raw unsalted nuts–add two handfuls to breakfast, fruits, avocado–2 per week (love this one!), continue water intake

Heart/thyroid/adrenal tea: hawthorn, cayenne powder, ashwaganda, siberian ginseng, ginkgo biloba leaves.  Replace sweet tea with this.  Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight.  Stop drinking sweet tea and start glugging yucky tasting tea.  I’ll try.  But, replace?  No, these are two different categories here–pleasure and torment.

For the anemia: Take 1 Tablespoon of Swedish bitters three times a day.  Vitamin C. Both of these help the body to absorb iron.  I have noticed a huge difference since taking the Swedish bitters!  They’re pretty gross, too, but because I get light headed SO much less and have more energy it makes it easier to get it swallowed.  By now it’s becoming routine enough they don’t taste so terrible.

Other home options: (and some of these sounded so weird to me!  I didn’t do them at first, but once I did I saw improvements in specific areas.  Humbly I bow.)

Moving daily 30 minutes: to increase circulation and to increase waste elimination/detox

30 minutes of fresh air and sunshine daily

Earlier bedtime: helps restore adrenal function as well as the other health benefits we hear all the time.

Daily hydrotherapy

Daily castor oil packs

Daily skin brushing

Deep breaths daily: 30 inhale and exhale on count of 5: to detox

Positive affirmation: follow negative thought about health and symptoms with this phrase, “I am creating powerful health.”  This was helpful to me, especially in the beginning when I was putting forth a lot of effort, but not yet seeing changes.

Add fun: do your photography once a week (the reason I have been blogging a little more often)

I’m not doing most of these daily, and some not even regularly.  The food changes and supplements I have done well with probably because their health benefits are more obvious.  All of this just takes so much time, and it takes awhile to make it a part of a daily routine.

Each month I need to rate my health with 1 being: I can’t get out of bed and 10 being strong and healthy.  So far I have moved from having pretty many days where I wouldn’t get out of bed if I didn’t absolutely have to (2-3) to about 5-6.

We all have days now and then when we don’t feel like getting out of bed and facing the day.  This not getting out of bed is the kind of effort, though, where you have to mentally command every physically action–even sitting up.  To HAVE ENERGY AT ALL some mornings has been a great improvement!  I’ve had days when I’m tired from being sleep deprived, but underneath that tiredness was some energy instead of utter fatigue.  That is incredible!!!!

Some days now I wake up feeling well. One day someone asked me how I was feeling and I said, “Great.”  Then I smiled for a long time because I haven’t been able to say I was feeling great for a very long time.

I have days now when I clean, and work, and fell well enough in the evening to interact with my family.  That is nearly a miracle.  A few months ago I was so utterly exhausted in the evenings I couldn’t make it through the evening meal without retreating to my bedroom.  Often the boys came in to tell me goodnight, and that is all I saw of them in the evening.  (That is only one example of how tough things were at times) I didn’t talk about some of this because I felt a lot of shame for not being able to care for my family.

Vague symptoms that can be misread for what is part of normal life make it difficult to be heard and properly diagnosed.  If you don’t have a medical problem, then you should be able to put forth more effort, and make life happen–or so I thought.  You know all the time I would be hard on myself for not trying hard enough, deep inside, I really knew there was something that was being overlooked.

{{{To anyone who is experiencing health problems, but not finding answers: please keep looking until you receive the help you need.}}}

Today: I am so relieved that almost all my symptoms have lessened in severity, and some have disappeared completely!  This past week I drove the three boys to Virginia, spent the day with my family, drove to Pennsylvania and photographed a wedding, drove back to Virginia to spend another day with my family, drove home the nine hours.  While I was gone I tried to stay within my treatment plan where it was feasible, but I didn’t keep up my diet perfectly.

I did pay for it a little.  I skipped Swedish bitters often and lost the bottle for a day. By Sunday I was really, really shaky and light headed again.  I found the bitters and took a dose before the noon meal, and was feeling better by that evening.  I was just amazed at how much better I felt Tuesday–the day after the trip home–than I expected!

I wasn’t ripping around the house unpacking and washing laundry as I would’ve been in my strong, healthy days.  I did have a crash day where I sat around most of the day and washed only two loads of laundry and taught Zachary’s classes.  However I wasn’t flat on my back for several days as I would have been at one time.  I literally planned crash day on my planner, so it was a happy surprise to be able to do a little housework!

I am so thankful for God’s faithfulness in showing me His goodness even in the blackest time of my life, for my husband’s immeasurable support and patience, for prayers and encouragement from so many friends, to see health returning, and for hope.

My Health story Part 1

One of our biggest answers to prayer recently has been an improvement in my health.  Awhile ago I had started a post describing the whole ordeal this has been and it waits and waits in my draft folder.  Since I have alluded to positive changes recently but haven’t really told you many details, I’m excited to share what we discovered and what has been happening.

Okay, I really want to write the back story to so many parts of this, but I know that if I go there, then I’ll keep backing up all the way to when I fainted in a nursing home at age seven.  Well, that might be cool–to have the whole story written out–but that is how posts end up living in the drafts folder.  Here is where I put on my blinders to [most of] the details and dive into the recent section.

After years of symptoms here and there, a difficult second pregnancy, Paxton’s pregnancy topped them all as one of the darkest times of my life.  After he was born I was happy to feel better. I felt a big improvement, but still better was waaaaay below well.  I tell you, finding help for fatigue when you are pregnant, nursing, or really simply a mom to little ones is almost impossible!  Fatigue is part of the game.  Right?  Of course (to a degree).

As much as I doubted myself at times and thought I must be terribly inadequate at describing symptoms, mostly I knew that something was not right!  It is one thing to be really, really tired after you’ve worked hard all day or lost a lot of sleep at night after night.  It is another thing to be disproportionately tired.  Sitting most of the day should not make you so tired you can hardly survive an evening.  Taking your children to Bible study and doing the basic lunch and naps should not make you so completely exhausted your crying is unstoppable.

Still anytime I talked with doctors about my symptoms they said, “Well, you’re a mom of little ones…” and dismissed it. They might run a few basic tests, but otherwise they wrote it off as normal.  I was extremely frustrated at times, but most often just did what I needed to for survival.  I got good at hiding symptoms most of the time–learned how to lean on a counter or wall while talking with someone, so I wouldn’t need to mention that I was nearly blacking out.  I learned that I couldn’t go for too long without food or I would hardly be able to hold it together emotionally, and would get weak and shaky.  I ate lots of protein.

Way back when I was a little girl I passed out at a nursing home and again while practicing for a program at school.  Often, as a teenager, I would nearly pass out while singing in a large group.  Running in cold weather then going into a warm building would make me extremely lightheaded, and I’d need to be careful not to faint.  It was kind of like hiccups–an annoying part of life that is so common you don’t think too much about it and just deal with it.

After years of no answers with the many doctors I have seen, no tests showing up anything, and many hypothesis (Sounds like PCOS, sounds like anemia, you have low blood sugar, of course you’re tired; you are pregnant and a mom of two, of course you’re tired; you’re a mom of three little boys and you’re nursing….), I was getting desperate for help for a problem I was sure was beyond the scope of the average mama-fatigue.  Over the years people have suggested I see a natropathic doctor.  Even though, this wasn’t the path I would typically choose it is what began to seem the most likely direction for help. I liked the idea of finding the cause for health issues instead of simply treating symptoms.

It was beyond time to understand what was causing me to experience:

fatigue, lack of energy, weakness, tiring easily, dizziness, lightheaded, shortness of breath, headaches–especially with exercise, difficulty concentrating, brain fog, depression, cold, dry skin, hair loss, shakiness, weakness, irritability, impaired memory, not waking refreshed from sleep, about every single symptom on the right side of this chart, blurry vision, low blood pressure, chest pain, as well as a few other significant, but not blog-appropriate symptoms

Oops, I’m getting waaaaaay off the basics here.

Okay, so after finding a natropathic doctor who practices only 15 minutes from our home, we were on our way.  After extensive tests and blood work the facts began to dribble in.  First their was high cholesterol (often happens with hypothyroidism).  The C-reactive was a bit high which would suggest a risk for heart disease. Then they ran an EKG and echocardiogram and a chest x-ray which thankfully all came back clear. Most other tests came back within the normal range.

Finally, the very last test to come in was the one we needed most–iron.  My iron has been tested at least four times in the last several years.  Especially when I’m pregnant, people would tell me that is sounds as though I’m anemic.  When I was a young girl a doctor told me that it sounds as though I’m anemic.  Yet, when tested my iron was within the normal range.

Dr. Lebon ran a more extensive iron panel.  Though there is enough iron in my bloodstream, my body is not able to absorb iron.  It is absorbing less then half of the lowest number in the normal range.  Because my body then cries out for what it wasn’t getting, it also amped up iron production way above normal.  It also follows that during pregnancy when the

Here’s a blurb on iron deficiency anemia:

Iron-deficiency anemia occurs because of a lack of the mineral iron in the body. Bone marrow in the center of the bone needs iron to make hemoglobin, the part of the red blood cell that transports oxygen to the body’s organs. Without adequate iron, the body cannot produce enough hemoglobin for red blood cells. The result is iron-deficiency anemia.

People have also told me often that it sounds as though I have an under-active thyroid and/or adrenal fatigue. We’ve discovered that my thyroid is low, but doesn’t fall below the normal range.  Dr. L said since I have so many classic hypothyroid symptoms that level may be low for my body even though it falls within the normal range for the average person.

I can’t say how wonderful it felt to finally have an answer for why I feel so poorly!  For the first time in several years I felt real hope that I could be healthy again!

We’ve started out with dietary and lifestyle changes and I have already seen a big improvement to how I feel and how I can function!!!

More often than before I am proportionally tired to the amount of energy used. It still happens, but there are fewer times when I hang onto a wall or some furniture during a conversation.

One Friday I cleaned the whole upstairs which was phenomenal for me.  I was on a high that night.  The next day was rough then I overdid it when I was running, too.  At dinner I sat with my head propped on my hand the whole time until finally I excused myself to a bath.

I feel a little better mentally knowing I’m not inventing a tiredness.  When I have a bad day it’s easier to give myself a break knowing that some days I’m strong and can work and this just isn’t one of them.

Read Here for Part II where I talk about the suggested treatment plan I’m following.

Simple Gifts

We appreciate the good in our lives most after missing them.

Today these are mine to enjoy~

A happy, healthy baby after two weeks of sickness

Laughter at the end of an intense conversation

Parking the van in our driveway after two 9-hour travel days with three small boys

Being with Steve after five days away.

Travel junk food followed by Strawberries, pecans, and Greek yogurt

Green leaves on the tree after winter’s bare branches

Sunshine pushing its way through gray clouds.

Strength and health returning after several years of weakness, fatigue and questions

You have turned my mourning into dancing for me.  You have removed my sackcloth, and clothed me with gladness. Psalm 30:11

Visual Shoe shoping

Occasionally I give in to online shoe browsing.  Being minimalist requires what you have to be universal, but sometimes it’s fun to imagine buying a variety of colors and styles. I really don’t have very many shoes myself–like maybe four pairs of shoes, two pairs of sandals, a pair of boots, and several pairs of flip flops.  It’s just one of the ways I’ve tried to simplify.  Obviously I could cut a few more if I was really serious about it.

Simplifying needs to work with your lifestyle.  I have one pair of silver/gray flats that I wear to church, to any special event, to go shopping, or basically anytime it is too cold for sandals.  That works fine for my lifestyle, but I know a pair of shoes couldn’t be that universal just anywhere.

I’m starting to see that I may as well add a pair of more casual flats to my collection.  Not only are the silver flats a little too dressy at times, but they wear out quickly when they are worn so often.  I may as well have a dressy flat and casual flat–more variety and the dressy pair will stay dressy for longer.  Occasionally I look through the Toms website again and wonder if I could pull off the look.

Then I get distracted by the cuteness of the boy’s shoes:

For Zac:

 

For Ian:

For Pax:

For any or all of the boys:

 

[source]

What is great about this company is that they donate a pair of shoes for every shoe purchased. Shoes protect children from infections.  (Since moving to the city I have often been scolded for wearing flip flops instead of shoes on the boys at parks; I’m starting to remember.) In some places they are required for school enrollment.  You can read more about their mission here.

Now if only we could find a few of these at a yard sale.

 

Quote on Simplicity

Learn to like what doesn’t cost much.

Learn to like reading, conversation, music.

Learn to like plain food, plain service, plain cooking.

Learn to like fields, trees, brooks, hiking, rowing, climbing hills.

Learn to like people, even though some of them may be different…different from you.

Learn to like to work and enjoy the satisfaction doing your job as well as it can be done.

Learn to like the song of birds, the companionship of dogs.

Learn to like gardening, puttering around the house, and fixing things.

Learn to like the sunrise and sunset, the beating of rain on the roof and windows, and the gentle fall of snow on a winter day.

Learn to keep your wants simple and refuse to be controlled by the likes and dislikes of others.

-Lowell C. Bennion

Bright Futures

  Bright Futures is a Christian academy for middle school and high school students in our area.  For the past few years they have been using a space at City of Refuge for their classrooms.  The first year we lived here Steve built two classroom for CoR’s afterschool program which were then also used by Bright Futures.

Recently generous donations allowed City of Refuge to expand the school area in their empty warehouse space.  We are all so excited!

The academy and many donors were invited to a special dinner and ground breaking ceremony.  I was privileged to photograph the event, so I’ll share a few pictures with you.

The staff provides excellent service:

Part of the staff at the amazing 180 Degree Kitchen:

Guests and students interacting before the meal:

A delicious meal beautifully presented:

Guests of Honor:

Bruce, the CoR director, describing the story and vision of the mission:

Heading over to the new school location:

One of the high school students giving a speech:

 

The students were holding up signs marking the location of each classroom, the library, cafeteria, etc.

A student, the after school programs director, and the youth pastor:

Several teachers and students from Bright Futures: