ready, set...go

It has been a nice summer. I enjoyed the out of doors, spent time with friends, hosted my friend Paloma from Spain for a whole month- we went from UT to ID, MT,ID,WA,ID,MT,WY,ID,UT,WY,UT! (got a little lost on the way home from mom & dad's house in WA via Yellowstone NP!) We did all the state crossing while hauling a 200? year old antique china hutch down to UT for my sister Nickie. More than once as we bumped across Yellowstone NP roads under construction we cracked up laughing at the silly things we were doing... It was good.

On the way into Yellowstone we stopped and looked at the incredible sky. My God, how great you are! All the heavens sing your praises! INCREDIBLE. The milky way was so thick you could have eaten it with a spoon. Ebony cheeks freckled by Ursa Major, Caseopia, Orion, and the Corona. breathtaking, immense, beautiful, awe inspiring. Good for my body, my soul, my spirit. As we looked at the sky I thought we were seeing a commet but as I watched it moved fairly rapidly across the sky. It was bizarre but figured out that it was a plane and had some lights reflecting off the top of clouds that were below it. strange but interesting. another smaller plane came along behind it which told us this must be a flight pattern for some airport.. maybe SLC? We drove into the town of West Yellowstone and as we checked in the receptionist was a little late getting to her desk and said there had been some excitement. Upon aksing her about it she said the Spaceshuttle had just passed overhead followed by the international space station. SO THAT is what we saw. COOL!

The next day we went through Yellowostone and Glacier NPs and eventually got ourselves home. I had to return to work by then but Paloma kept herself entertained with a trip to slc (which she found absolutley the single most dead city she has ever experienced in all her world travels) and also spent 3 days in Vegas. I took her around to local sites like Provo Canyon, Sundance where we met fun and interesting people-One with a 9 foot smile!- and a great cappuccino, Park City (which reminds me so much of Roslyn) where we dodged rain and found a great beer (Polygamy Porter by Wasatch Brewery). I then took her to MOAB, My favorite place in the world, and we had fun.. but I can tell it was not as striking to her as it is to me. truth be told I think I almost killed her in a hummer 4x4 tour. I think she has forgiven me..... I hope. Well, the goal was to share some of my american life with her and we did do that. I think it's ok not to like everything the same. It was good to share the time though. :)

Before we knew it the month was up and on OCT 2 I took her home. I had pretty much just adjusted to having company when her time was up and now she is gone. Odd feeling now... it was nice not to be alone for a month... and now I feel like I am grieving again.. like other milestones in life... Cristine going to MT, coming home, then moving out... breaking up with D... moving away from WA and the life I had always known.... change....change...change

I'm so grateful for the friends I have. They mean the world to me but listen, I am not ok anymore. Its time for change. Lord, bring your winds of change. I want what you want for me.. I want to be completed/complimented and to complete & compliment. I want abundant life, I want to give abundantly, to love abundantly, to listen abundantly, to share abundantly, to encourage abundantly, to live life abundantly& I don't want to do it alone. *sigh*

Some things are easily changed, others are not.
Tonight I prepared everything I need to get going agian on Total Health & Fitness. chicken- check, veggies- check, rice- check, yogurt/cheese/wholegrain crackers/ fresh fruit- check. I am 10 pounds away from -100 and 45 pounds away from my final goal. I really , really want to do this. so, if there is aneone out there that actually reads this would you pray for me? the sticktoitiveness to not get tired and give up.. the peace of mind to keep moving forward, to keep my eyes on the prize which is Jesus and my health is a vehicle he will use to touch other lives... Pray that my character be improved & transformed every day and that I love MORE every day.

Unless something else comes up my next race will be in March for the Moab Half Mary. Im going to train by 1) hiking the Y every day between now and the snow flies, 2) may join the gym for the winter, 3) start zumba again. even though it hurts my hips... its just so fun!, 4)Restart weight training. 5) Stay in a place of peace.

Thats my plan...
Light, Life, Truth & Love

Carrie