Photography, Boys and Their Dogs, and Korean Boy Bands!

So I have to be honest in saying that I have failed this month at taking pictures.  I mean, I have taken pictures from my iPhone but that doesn’t count.  I will say this though, that even though I haven’t practiced my photography, the pictures I have taken this month are some of my favorite because they are full of people that I love!  The following is a picture of my friend Lily.  She lives in AZ so we decided to meet in the middle.  The picture on the right is one I took on my drive....look at that sky!

                                             Taken at a backwards bowling party for kickball.  Love them!

As far as my Vietnamese goes...I am rockin it!  Okay, so I haven’t advanced past the 4^th lesson but I am pushing myself the extra mile and actually reviewing and learning how to write in Vietnamese (accent marks and all)!  It hurts my head but I am having so much fun learning it!  There are a few pictures and phrases that keep me entertained throughout.  For example, Rosetta Stone feels it is absolutely necessary to know “một em trai và một con chó” or that there is a boy and dog in  the picture.  Usually, a picture comes up once in a lesson but this picture, for some reason, comes up two or three times!

   

                        Little boy-man.  I laugh every time!          My new buddy and his dog

Running is going well too!  I am running 4 miles consistently and today ran it under 40 minutes.  I was pretty stoked!  Today I felt like I could run even longer which is funny since I am usually a little slower the second day in a row.  My theory on why I had more energy....I have switched my Pandora station form country or Pitch Perfect to...drum roll please..............Big Bang (a Korean boy band).  Their music is so full of energy and it keeps me at a good pace.  I have no shame!

Practicing My Photography!

I want to start this post by saying, “thank you” to the people who actually read my blog!  And then I would like to follow that with a, “sorry” since I only seem to write once a month.  I will try to be better about that!

This month I chose a challenge that I felt I could actually achieve because I will WANT to practice it!  I have loved taking photos for as long as I can remember so this month, I am choosing to put time and effort into taking great photos.

Taking pictures of people freaks me out because I feel like I am going to miss that “moment” and since my 30 months before 30 is to do things that push me out of my comfort zone, that is exactly what I am going to practice!  If anyone wants to help out, I will need subjects! 

These are photos I took today.  No people I know but I just wanted to get out there again and take pictures of something!  I love these leaves by my house and lifeguard towers are always fun!

I have found a substitute when I don't have any live beings....http://veryhilarious.com/so-beautiful/

I just about died seeing these pictures!

Running update:  I wore out my shoes and let that be my excuse for why I couldn’t go out for a run.  I finally dragged my butt out to the mall and bought new shoes to get back to my training.  It felt good to get out there!  I get more and more excited for my race as I train.  I hope I can keep my motivation!

Chords + Rhythm = Success and I don't have them!

The month of October, I have decided to learn (or at least try to learn) guitar.  I cheated a bit because I got my first “lesson” last month.  Unfortunately, when I picked up the guitar to play again, I had forgotten all of the chords!  So I’m basically back to where I started.

I got a guitar my junior year of college and I had it in my head that I was going to teach myself.  I learned the chords and could actually change between them decently well....but I had a problem strumming.  I have rhythm when dance so I was hoping that would help me but I guess that was wishful thinking.

My goal is to be dedicated enough this month to say that I gave it a shot...if I pick it up that’s awesome but if not, I can at least say I tried.  My hope is that my muscle memory will kick in and chords will not become a problem and somehow I will find rhythm  If I can still remember the dance I did for my 6^th grade talent show, I am sure, if I give it enough time, I will be able to remember at least the basic chords!

Unfortunately, I can already see my motivation dwindling!  Yikes!  Mid practice today, a baby started screaming bloody murder outside my window and when I went to shut it, I lost my pick.  I have torn up the baskets at the base of my window and have come up empty handed.  I could just practice the chords minus the pick or I could just run downstairs and get a new one but I think 15 minutes is my max for the night!

In other news...I had a vey lazy week last weekend.  After my friend’s bachelorette weekend two weekends ago, I needed to catch up on sleep so I did not run AT ALL!  However, I started to see just how much my body needs the exercise and I have been running since.  I still have my race ahead of me and I can’t loose the motivation now!  

I am also kicking myself in the pants for staking such big claims right out of the gate.  When I go from not reading the Bible ever, to committing to reading it everyday is a lot to ask...not that I shouldn't be but I should have been okay with easing into it.  What has come out of that challenge though is me actually reading the Bible and wanting to read it.  Unfortunately, I did come to find Joshua has a lot of chapters on how land was separated between the 12 tribes!  I will admit I skimmed since I have no clue what boundaries they are talking about.  One thing that did stand out to me in my last reading though was in Joshua 21:45 which says, "Not one of all the Lord's good promises to the house of Israel failed; everyone was fulfilled."  This was not new or surprising to me but it stood out because it's something I tend to forget often.  It was a good reminder that God NEVER fails.  He is committed to keeping his promises to us and I am so thankful that I hold on to the promise that I will live with him in eternity forever!

Lessons from Joshua

I am going to admit to you flat out that I have missed two days of reading my Bible but honestly, I thought I would have missed more.  What I like about having this as a public deal (again, whether people read it or not) is because I don’t want to fail you or myself.  Maybe that’s why at 10 o’clock last night, instead of laying my head on my pillow, I picked up the Bible and read a chapter from Joshua.

I am not to far along in the book but that’s because I want to make sure I am really getting a picture of what I read.  I don’t want to read just to say I’ve done it but I want to understand what it says about God.  I want to see how I can relate to these people and their situations and think about how I would respond to things they went through.

The book of Joshua follows the exodus of Moses bringing the Israelites out of Egypt.  Moses was told he was going to be leading his people to the land God promised them.  However, after 40 years of wondering in the desert, Moses dies.  After being a faithful servant of God while others created idols, Moses was not even able to see the promise land.  Instead, Joshua was appointed by God to lead his people across the Jordan. 

I won’t go into more details of what I have read but I am only 5 chapters in and I have so many questions and thoughts....like did Moses know he was not going to see the land God had promised his people and was he bummed?  Or was he stoked because he knew heaven was going to be so much more than that land?  I honestly think I would be a little bummed.  Who would be okay turning their project or their “baby” over to someone at the last moment so they get the glory instead?  I think Moses was a different breed though and knew perfectly well that he was getting the best reward for his faithfulness.  In steps Joshua...how old was he and was he nervous about taking on such a huge task?  My assumption was yes because in chapter 1 alone God and his people told Joshua 3 times to be, “strong and courageous”.  Then Rahab enters the scene.  Rahab is a prostitute who houses Joshua’s spies and lies to the men who come to her house looking for them.  To me, it is so fascinating that God uses prostitutes, men with stutters etc. to do his will. 

I have never been excited about reading the Bible before but I no longer feel like it’s an obligation.  Instead, it’s something I want to do.  I am no longer leaving my Bible in the backseat of my car so it will be there for church next Sunday but I make it a point to make sure it’s by my bed.  Oh I am excited for what else I am going to learn!

Half Marathon update!

Training is going well.  Slowly but surely I will get there.  I am running 4 miles on a consistent basis and each day is different.  Monday I felt like I was never going to make it home and wanted to call and have someone pick me up.  Today, I felt like my energy would last forever.  Next stop...6 miles!  Oh and I need to be careful where I run....I almost ran into that little sucker.  They are everywhere!

Vietnamese update:

Unfortunately there isn’t one.  I got discouraged because it jumped from, “hey I get this” levels to, “what the heck are they even describing.”  I know that’s not the attitude I should have but I need a little kick in the pants and I will be back with it again!

Getting a Dose of Daily Bread

It is the 8^th day into September and I am starting my challenge of the month!  I guess the 8^th day in is a little better than the 21^st right?  As I was thinking about what I could do for this month, I entertained the idea of picking up horseback riding or learning guitar.  Actually, I probably would have picked either of those options over the one I have decided on, but they are not possible at the moment.  So what have I chosen for the month of September you ask? 

This challenge is just that...a challenge and I honestly thought about not putting this on my list at all because I know it’s going to be tough for me to do.  The saddest part is that it shouldn’t be challenging at all, it should be something I am excited to do every day. 

Reading the Bible has always been difficult for me, especially on a daily basis.  It has never seemed exciting to me and I have never known where to start.  I enjoy going to sermons on Sundays and I feel like that is enough for the week.  I can reflect upon it and talk about it until next Sunday right?  However, while I do get a lot out of the sermon on Sunday, it is silly to think that can sustain me for an entire week.  God’s word is our daily bread.  From it, we gain understanding of who God is and what it reveals about God helps us grow.  Now think of it like a true piece of bread, one you can actually consume.  It is ridiculous to think that someone can live off of a single piece of bread for an entire week!  How is it any different with reading my Bible?  One sermon can’t really sustain me for that long.

What I love about my church is that they do not tell us every Sunday to read our Bibles.  What they do instead is deliver messages that apply to our daily lives so when we read the Bible, we already know how to relate it to what we are going though.  I can’t remember what it was about the message I heard today that the lit the fire in me but afterwards I felt like there was no greater challenge I could choose for the month of September!  Hopefully I will get into a routine that goes past this month and I pray that my excitement to learn more about who my God is only strengthens.  I can’t wait to share this journey with you!

Language learning update!

While I am taking on this new challenge, I am continuing my commitment of learning Vietnamese and let me tell you...it is still freaking hard! I can describe a picture to you if there is a boy standing under or is sitting on a plane.  I can also tell you that there are two girls chasing after a boy.  And I am pretty confident I could tell you that a guy and a girl are dancing in the picture...for some reason the verb changes hen two people are dancing as opposed to one person dancing alone.  I feel like I have learned and actually retained a lot but I have a lot more to learn!  I was really encouraged when I talked to one of my best friends the other day, only to have her laugh at my attempt to say, “there is a boy and a dog”!  hahah oh well!

In other news: I plan to run a half marathon in January, a bucket-list item I will be checking off for January but I just wanted to give you a heads up since my training process might pop up in later blogs!

I am learning Vietnamese?

Last month, I let you all in on my plan to challenge myself and honestly, get off my butt and start doing things I said I would do/wanted to do.

It is the 21st of the month and I just started my first challenge...learning Vietnamese.  The fact that I am just now starting my "challenge of the month" is the exact reason I started this blog.  I felt like if I got you involved (if there are actual people reading), I would be more accountable.  

I am happy to say that a teeny, tiny bit of Vietnamese stuck with me!  The few words that I knew really helped during Lesson 1 but I obviously still need a lot of practice.  I am learning Vietnamese through Rosetta Stone and even though it seems overwhelming, I think I am going to enjoy it.  From what it looks like, each lesson is broken into four different sections that allow you to practice the same phrases in new ways.  I went though part 1 and did well enough.  However, as I was going through part 2, I was racking up points...honestly, I had 90 correct and 0 wrong!  I knew I had a perfect score waiting for me at the end and I postponed on taking a picture in order to flaunt it front of all of you.  I mean, wouldn't you be impressed if on day 1, I got a perfect score?   I guess God was not okay with my cockiness because my laptop shut itself down on question 91.  You are probably thinking, "Isn't that so convenient, Erica?  A perfect score that you cannot prove?"  I say, "take it or leave it".  I guess I learned my lesson for next time!