My mother in law Jan gave me a Nike shirt with the word RUN on it (Thanks Jan I love it). I put it on tonight,and to my surprise I felt an urge to work on my karate moves.
Maybe you all better get to running unless you want me to bust out some dragon kicks on you.
I would sum up my time in Oregon thus far as reflection. I have been thinking about my life up until now, collecting all of my fond memories and holding on to them for dear life. Because of the time of year, I have felt it appropriate to reminisce on past Christmases. Thinking about my siblings tip toeing into my room because they wanted me to see what Santa had brought...they never questioned whether he existed because of the evidence in the wrapping paper(it was always different than what my mom had used) so of course he was real. Or my dad's apron that he always wore while making early morning Christmas breakfast. Or the fact that I was the only person on the planet that got to participate in 9 Christmases because God blessed me with 4 parents and 10 grandparents. Well this year is going to be different in every aspect. We will only have one Christmas and it will only be Trey and I, so we have decided that we are going to start some new traditions. I am very excited...I don't know exactly what they will be so I will have to let you know afterwards but I do think it will involve sugar plums and apple cider. I wish you all the very merriest Christmas...Cherish one another!
A few weeks ago I got a call from one of my running buddies. He is actually Mallory's boss', boyfriend's, brother. He got into running a few years ago like I did except for the past year or so he has been running ultra-marathon races. For those of you who are not aware of this little niche in the running community, they are people who decide they can run further than the 26.2 miles in your standard marathon. So they train for races that are 50 kilometers and even 100 miles long. They're crazy dudes, my friend Nathan finished his first 100 mile race back in September in 28 hours.
Anyway, some of the guys that he trains with are these crazy middle aged men who love to run and compete with each other. As I understand it, one of these middle aged men ran a 5:00 minute flat mile a few months ago. So one of his friends (who lives in Idaho and was traveling through Oregon) said let's run a mile at Hayward field so I can beat "so & so's" mile time. So these crazy middle aged, 100 mile marathon, men put together a little race. My buddy Nathan called me up and asked if I wanted to run, I said, "you better believe it". I showed up the next day and this is what it looked like.
Now the weird guy they are interviewing at the beginning is the guy trying to run the 5:00 min. mile. My buddy Nathan is the only other dude besides myself with long hair. The idiot in the denim is just that... an idiot in denim who succeeded in getting in my way for the first 400 meters. The guy who lines up in front with the white on is the dude who ran the original 5:00 minute mile. He only runs 2 laps because he is just helping set the pace, same story with the guy in the black. Now, the guy in the green is a collegiate runner or once was a collegiate runner who has been hurt for the past several months. He's going to set the pace the entire race. I overheard him before we started, he said, "I haven't been on the track in 3 months". The guy runs a 5 minute mile after rehabing for 3 months and isn't even fazed afterward. It's amazing what you can get your body to do with enough training. It was a really fun experience and something I'll always remember getting the opportunity to do. Plus, someone filmed the whole race so I'll always have it to look back on.
When we decided to move to Eugene I was so excited to become an Oregon Ducks football fan, for some reason it just didn't happen for me. I like them, but I don't love them. Maybe Pac 10 football just doesn't compare to Big 12 football. Maybe I'm just "orange to the bone".
This video is about a month old and you may have seen it already but in case you haven't here is the "I Love My Ducks" video. The guys who put this together are just regular UO students. I think my cousin Chet needs to meet these guys, I think he could really contribute to the group. Their called Supwitchugirl. If you listen to Dan Patricks's radio show, listen for the Dan Patrick we en fuego line.
Mallory and I got to talking to Clint and Rachel (our pastor and his wife) about consumerism last night. We were baby sitting for them and when they came home we got to chatting about being away from home for the holidays and what that's like for us and what that's been like for their kids the last couple of years. Clint mentioned how his parents have sent a lot of gifts to the kids this year (which he appreciates) and how they have struggled as the kids grow up to prevent their children from being sucked into a "gimmie gimmie gimmie" mindset about gifts, toys, and stuff in general. He said, "we've had birthday parties where we put on the invitation no gifts please, but people still show up with gifts." We began talking about what it is about our culture that makes things this way. He said, "I don't know if people feel like they need to bring a gift because, that's just what you do at birthday parties or what exactly it is". Mallory mentioned an article we read about Americans spending $80 billion around Christmas time and that $40 billion of it is an absolute waste on the economy. Here is why, 50% of the gifts Americans receive during Christmas time are unsatisfying. Consequently, If the point of money and working to earn money is to bring satisfaction to our lives, then when we receive gifts from other people that total $80 billion we have essentially thrown $40 billion down our economy's drain when they don't "satisfy" us. Clint replied, "that is a good point but I believe the amount spent on Christmas by Americans is closer to to $150 billion". Also, "it would only take $80 billion to put clean water wells throughout the entire world for people that do not have access to clean water".
It was a very insightful talk and it's such a blessing to have a pastor that has no allusions about the culture he lives in and the effects it has on his life, his children 's life, and the life's of the people in the church. Keep in mind our pastor was born and raised in Indiana and from the sounds of things, its very similar to an Oklahoma lifestyle. He's no Oregon hippy with grand visions of some cornucopia lifestyle if we would just all hold hands and recycle more. He doesn't even have a position on global warming because he says he hasn't done his research on it yet. I'm proud to hear he's planing on doing his own research before letting some talking head on t.v. tell him what to believe about the issue. That topic is for another blog and another day.
He did tell me to check out a website called the story of stuff. I've, posted the video below, it's only 20 minutes long and it really breaks down the system (a broken system) we as a modern society have developed since world war II. I won't go into details because the video does a great job in itself.
Mallory and I have been talking a lot about how difficult it is to forge a new way of doing things without coming off as ungrateful for the things we have been given, the way we've been raised, and the opportunities we've been blessed with. Nevertheless, Mallory and I are making decisions now based on values we hold dear as a couple that will begin to shape our everyday decisions, as well as our long term decisions. And I'm not talking about just being different for the sake of being different, I'm talking about seeking the heart of God in every decision we make so that we cease to operate in a system built by man that exploits millions of others and is destroying our planet. Those are easy words to say but I'm putting them down in writing so that you all can hold us accountable to them. It won't be easy but we're always up for a challenge. Gammy told me this summer that I needed a God sized challenge and that's what I hope to find.
Here is my first goal:
Within the next ten years I will never spend another penny at a gas station. Not only with the fuel they provide on the outside but with the garbage they call food and drink on the inside.
Ask me how I'll do it and I'll tell you.
Sources close to me are saying the next goal may have something to do with Wal-Mart. However, I can neither confirm nor deny those reports.....
Kenzie posted this on her facebook page but I've got to get the word out about her commercial skills, and because I get close to a million hits a day on this new blog I'd thought I'd help her out a bit.
It would make my day if all of my family and friends showed up at our doorstep on Christmas morning. I would make you delicious coffee and tell you how much I have missed you.
In high school Mallory was famous for running all her cross country and track races with her long french braids. This week she said to me, "it is time young one".... We had a Native American style ceremony and everything. What do you think?
We've been receiving Christmas gifts all week long from family. I wish we could be closer to everyone but our journey is only beginning. Keep your eyes peeled for Christmas cards from Eugene, Mallory has been working hard on them for the past several weeks and she has even come up with clever little rhyme and everything. Keep Ray Cowden (Mallory's Grandpa) in your prayers as he recovers from surgery Tuesday on his arteries. Also, if anybody working in the medical industry can help us with a prescription pill called "Relpax" we would appreciate it. It's made by Pfizer and it's for migraine headaches which Mallory suffers from occasionally. If you come across any samples that you could send us that would be awsome. I only ask because it seems a large portion of you work closely with doctors in one fashion or another.
Here is a quote from my Grandpa Woods that I've been interested in lately, "Money is condensed life". Makes sense, we work hard for our money, spend a majority of our waking hours away from people we love, doing things we don't always enjoy to earn it. Seems like everybody has a plan for our money as pastor Craig would say, but it really comes down to them having a plan for our life. I'm going to be doing more research on the things I choose to give little pieces of life to. Including but not limited to FOOD, bills, entertainment, and clothes. I've been sucked into some kind of system that I've never even questioned whether I agree with or not.
Here's a verse we've been spending some time on in church, it's good stuff.
Hebrews 11:1,6 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
I put too much faith in what my money can buy and what I can do for myself, there is no faith in that and consequently it's been displeasing to God. Pray for me.
Merry Christmas and stay posted for more......well posts I guess.
