What is wrong with today?!?!?!

Routine patient visit. Recheck blood pressure, review medications.  Normal 30 something dude.
Patient: "Hey Andrea, did  you hear about the Florida zombie?"
Me: "Definitely not. A movie?"
Patient: ...he proceeds to run down one of today's top stories as a Florida man apparently ate some man's face off while high on bath salts...

Just a small quick rant.
1. I HATE bath salts. I hate what they do to my patients, and I wish I could personally go snag them all off the streets. What on earth are they getting laced with...sad and scary!!! And if you want to know I hate heroin, too. And the lack of drug rehab available in NE Ohio.
2. The sad thing about this story, doing a little research, is that this grotesque act took place for 18 minutes, and not ONE person tried to intervene or protect the poor homeless man? Really?? Maybe I perceive myself to be way more heroic than I'd really be in the situation, but throw rocks at him or something?
3. Bless her heart, the mom makes a statement saying that he was a sweet kid and had nothing like this inside of him. I really have no idea one thing about this guy or his family life or his parenting, but you can't help but wonder if there were some red flags ANYWHERE....something. Which makes me reflect on how out of tune so many parents are in America.

Which gets my mind rolling and I wish in so many ways I could wave a wand and make real change. Change that doesn't come through politics or social programs...changes that come through people that are motivated deep in their core to help others and makes changes one person at a time. For the church to reach out and care....

I'm appalled. It makes me angry. Chalk this one up as a not so happy post.

Power Food!!

I wanted to share a quick recipe with y'all. This is my new "power" food, and for sure going to be on my menu the days before my race. (Baaah, I never thought I'd say I had a power food, thats for sure!!!) I made this last Wednesday night and proceeded to eat it Thursday and Friday...and post run Saturday. I felt SO good when I was running Saturday (well until about mile 11.5, but thats expected)...and I think I'm going to point to this dish as why. Healthy eating makes such a difference!! And this tastes so good-I probably used 3 more limes than what it called for, so fresh and tasty! It tastes a bit like a chipotle burrito bowl, but much lighter and fresher!

Mexican Black Bean Salad

• 1 cup quinoa
• 1 1/2 cups cold water
• 2 cups (1 can) cooked black beans. If using canned beans, drain and rinse well
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced OR 1 Tbsp minced fresh ginger
• 2 garlic cloves, minced, OR 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1 carrot, peeled, halfed lengthwise, sliced thin diagonally
• 1 cup chopped fresh yellow or green beans
• 1/2 cup red pepper, diced
• 1/2 cup green peppers, diced
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1 medium ripe tomato
• 1 cup chopped cucumber
• 2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro, or more!
• Dressing:
• 3 Tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice (juice of 1 lime....or 5-6).
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp salt
• Fresh ground pepperen pepper, diced

 
1. Rinse quinoa and drain through a large fine mesh strainer. (This can be made ahead of time)
2. Place in a 2 qt pot with 1 1/2 c. water and 1/2 tsp salt
3. Bring to a full boil, cover tightly, turn down to low, and cook for 15 minutes
4. Remove from heat and allow to sit 5 minutes covered
5. Fluff quinoa gently with a fork and set aside to cool
6. If using canned beans, drain, rinse and set aside to drain
7. Sauté jalapeno, fresh garlic, in 1 tsp olive oil until garlic is slightly browned
8. Add the celery, carrot, green beans, green & red peppers and sauté 5 minutes
9. Add the cumin and coriander, cook and stir 2 minutes. I also threw in some more garlic powder.
10. Blend dressing ingredients with a whisk or shake in a jar
11. Add quinoa, black beans, sautéed veggies, tomatoes, cucumber, fresh minced cilantro or basil, scallions, to a large bowl
12. Pour on dressing and stir gently to combine. Adjust salt and pepper to taste
13. Serve quinoa salad warm, or cover and chill.

I didn't remember to take a picture until my last bowl....so this picture doesn't quite do it justice. There was quite a bit more fresh veggies. Give it a try!

Dear Kim,

This is a special post for Kim. And my memories :)

Well. Here's the story.

Wednesday. Epic fall in the middle of the forest at Silvercreek. True, if no one heard me or saw me did id happen, I knew you were gonna go there. But it did.

I will now curse the tree that stretched its root out while I was channeling the inner Beth Woodward and triumphing on my tough mid week run. I curse you tree!!

I will now also curse my ankle, which I wish would act more robotic. I curse you ankle!!

(that makes me feel better)

I will now thank AirOne for playing the song that says "you may bend but He won't let you break" song as soon as I returned to my car.

Okay, Kim. What you really want to know. I'm going to take some more ibuprofen tonight and ice once more. When I wake up in the morning, it's stiff and more sore, because thats when the medicine wears off.

But I'm a runner. I'll be there tomorrow. 

:)

! 12 ! ... and...

So one of the goals of returning to this  blog, was my own desire to document my little running journey, so I can remind  myself of accomplished goals. So, I write.

Prior to this year, the longest I had ever run was 8 miles. I still remember that day CANDIDLY. Sarah, Shannon, Owen in the jogging stroller, and the Canal Fulton towpath. I ended strong....right Shannon?

I still get jitters about running. And a million thoughts cross my mind as I'm driving to the towpath for my long runs that utterly try to convince me that I'm really not going to make it back to my car. It's crazy, but it's real. And my body responds, too, with real panic! 

So I write about last week:
I made sure I was a good girl the day before our anticipated 12 miler. For lunch I had chicken and rice. I drank TONS of water that day. Avoided sweets at the office (best I could, I couldn't pass up Smoothie King). And I went to bed early.

I woke up around 5 (anticipated start time was 7 am), and was full of snot. Which made me mad! I thought I was going to choke on the gross stuff, and of course, that was what was going to keep me from finishing the 12 miles. Lies, I tell you. I then realized my favorite running socks were in the washer. Fail, it sounds stupid, but they make a difference. With them, my feet don't feel sweaty. Without them, yuck, gross. So I put together a running outfit that I felt would be successful for the morning, which was expected to be warm. My favorite calf length running pants and a race shirt that was extra big to stay comfortable.

First fail, I chose to drink Gatorade instead of water. So we start our run. Minus Lisa, Encourager extraordinaire who is on this journey with me, minus Coach Dana. We start with a hill. Fail #2-allow mind to convince me I'm already doomed as I regret having sinus cavities, why not just take them out already! But I make it 4 miles out with the group and feel good. At turn around I still feel good, feeling a little pain in my knee (s/p ACL) and decide to slow up a little. Mile 7, I'm thirsty. Gatorade is at car. It's hot out. I don't feel so great. I start praying the big prayers-delusional hydrated prayers that I'll be able to pick up a 9 minute mile pace and just get this over with super fast.

And JUST THEN....Jess shows up (Cue mental rendition of Monica's version of Angel of Mine). On bike. She bikes out and meets back at parking lot with goal to finish my last 4 miles with me. It's absolutely amazing what some encouragement does. Having her trotting along beside me joking about all of our athletic fails growing up and her little encouraging words-definetely lifted me enough to carry me to the 12 mile mark. How grateful was I? Soooo much!!

12 miles is a long way, really. I'm sort of proud of myself, for sure never in a million years would of thought that's something I could have accomplished.

But  just to keep me humble, we did a trail run this weekend...and it stunk. Lots of hills, grass and roots made it hard to keep sure footing, and trailrunning made it near impossible to keep a steady pace. And 5 miles felt like 50.

And that is why we keep training. 29 days until the half. Quite frankly, that makes me freakishly nervous!!

Background.

Sometimes, it's hard to ignore what God is trying to teach me. Sometimes its easier to ignore it, but he'll keep bringing it front and center til I submit to that area that needs refined. I am certainly most grateful.

One of the "gifts" of the inner workings of a woman's mind is that everything is connected. Dr. Walt Larimore-one of my favorite family physicians!  (see his blog on my blogroll)-describes a woman's brain as a big bowl of spaghetti and meatballs-you can't pull out one piece of spaghetti without it touching all the sauce and meatballs and other pieces of spaghetti. Where men, well they have the classic compartmentalized waffle brain.

Sometimes my brain is so full. And to be fair, its my brain and my heart. And it overwhelms me at times. Whether it be longing for some ideal situation that hasn't been revealed, clinging to hopes, feeling others pains, etc. A good days work is listening to 25+ peoples problems and attempting to fix them right there on the spot. And inside my head, ... I have questions. And I have hopes. And in my worldly mind, I want to see Him address them and move on. And it's not like that with God, he doesn't always just make things better or answer prayers directly. I want God on my time. Mistake, GHOUSE, big time.

So as my brain rumbles around these thoughts, there's two conclusive points. As Jerry has oftened pointed out in Bible study-most of our problems in life relate back to two main problems: Failing to see God as He truly is and failing to see ourselves as we really are.
1. I get it Asaph. Psalm 73...sometimes it seems that the people who don't deserve the good, have the good. Thanks for writing it all out, the whole mind process you went through, to get to that place where you re-assured yourself that SURELY, GOD IS GOOD. He is! Great Psalm, great lesson.

2. LeCrae's song, Background, has become quite the "picture" of the lesson God is trying to teach me. I want him to write His story through me. I want to be that intstrument. I want to be able to step aside. But, man, does that go against so many things inside of me. That dag-gum sin nature. I need to remind myself OFTEN my place in the BIG PICTURE!!! Take a listen if you haven't heard the song on YouTube-here's some of the lyrics.

"Background"(feat. C-Lite)

I could play the background
I could play the background
Cause I know sometimes I get in the way
So won't You take the lead, lead, lead?
So won't You take the lead, lead, lead?
And I could play the background, background
And you could take the lead

It's evident you run the show, so let me back down
You take the leading role, and I'll play the background
I know I miss my cues, know I forget my lines
I'm sticking to your script, and I'm reading all your signs
I don't need my name in lights, I don't need a starring role
Why gain the whole wide world, If I'm just going lose my soul
And my ways ain't purified, don't live according to Your Word
I can't endure this life without Your wisdom being heard
So word to every dance, a foe, a pop star
'Cause we all play the background, but mine's a rockstar
Yeah, so if you need me I'll be stage right
Praying the whole world will start embracing stage fright
So let me fall back, stop giving my suggestions
'Cause when I follow my obsessions, I end up confessing
That I'm not that impressive, matter of fact
I'm who I are, a trail of stardust leading to the superstar

I know I'm safest when I'm in Your will, and trust Your Word
I know I'm dangerous when I trust myself, my vision blurred
And I ain't got no time to play life's foolish games
Got plenty aims, but do they really Glorify Your name
And it's a shame, the way I want to do these things for You
Don't even cling to you, take time to sit and gleam from You
Seems You were patient in my ignorance
If ignorance is bliss, it's 'cause she never heard of this

Oh my lands.

Not feeling so great this week. Hoping the worst was yesterday. Really wanting to curl up in our pediatric room at the office and just take a nap. Bleh.

I still need to blog about getting to 12 miles and my towpath angel that carried me my last 4 miles. Not literally...but almost!

I'll write soon. Somebody must be reading this blog-its over 700 views now!! It's okay you can admit it :)

Another journal find

I've been really enjoying reading through some of my old journals. What treasures!
Here's one I enjoy going back and reading-may you enjoy it as well! Scribbled down in my journal from my mission trip to Zambia, Africa in 2009, from a morning devotional by my teammate, Erma.

Let your heart be broken for a world in need

Feed the mouths that hunger, soothe the wounds that bleed

Give the cup of water and the loaf of bread

Be the hands of Jesus, serving in his stead

Here on earth applying principles of love

Visible expression God still rules above

Living illustration of the Living Word

To the minds of all who've never seen and heard

Blest be to be a blessing, priveleged to care

Challenged by the need apparent everywhere

Where mankind is wanting, fill the vacant place

Be the means thru which the Lord reveals His grace

Let your heart be tender and your vision clear

See mankind as god sees, serve Him far and near

Let your heart be broken by your brothers pain

Share yoru rich resources-give and give again!

Bryan Jeffery Leech

Really enjoying this rainy spring night in Ohio-catching up on laundry, cleaning up my apartment, reading through some of my medical journals that have been neglected the past few months...and a nice glass of wine :) Praying through preparation for Nepal, 2012. Even just the thought of seeing some of my dear friends-Jenny, Janelle, Gene, Andy, Fahad, Ambesh, Natalie-has my cup overflowing with happy! I wish I could capture the spirit of the people of western Nepal, the sweet translators, the missionaries vision, the  joy amongst the simplicity...all of it-I wish I could bottle it up and share it with my friends back home. So blessed by the opportunities God has given me. 

Coffee.

For the first time in my American life history (which means excluding life in Nepal), I found myself enjoying a cup of coffee this week. Strawberry coffee, strangely. And all week I've been thinking about entertaining another glass. The problem was, though, I drank the coffee around 2 pm, and was able to go running, sit though a meeting, clean my apartment, catch up on emails...etc, and still not be ready to fall asleep after midnight. Coffee is, indeed, a drug!!

Yet, whatever they do to the coffee in Nepal, it's so different. Almost like Chai. MMmm.

I really only even write this post, because I love this picture from one of the cafe's in Kathmandu, Nepal. And because I drank some coffee this week :)

Flashback.

I found this in my journal from 2005. Year one of PA school. Living slightly ghetto off of Bancroft in Toledo. With my Sara Green, where we enjoyed eating cookie dough.

Growing in Christ

In order to be a child of God, we have to change; thats what Jesus said. We have to admit we can't get there the way we are and be willing to humble ourselves and change....

Remember that God's love for you is absolutely steadfast, and unlike humans, He does not give or take away His love based on your performance or qualifications. It will not take God by suprise when you discover an area of your life that is less than what it should be. He knows it already, and even knowing all there is to know about you, His love and concern for you have not budged one inch.

Today was a delightful day filled with rest, a good friend, a WONDERFUL (!!!!)  massage, beautiful weather, a happy puppy, and a yummy meal with my family. I love grilling season! 10 mile reward was a massage... I think I'm going to reward myself with another one when I finish the race as well.

Happy running to my Jess and Nate at the Pittsburgh Marathon/Half!!

Michael: On your left!
Oscar: You're doing great Michael, look at you go!
Creed: That's my boss! Yeah-ha baby!
Michael: I am fast! I'm very fast! I'm like Forrest Gump, except I am not an idiot.

...still one of my favorite TV show episodes of all times... Race for the Cure for Rabies. Classic.