My goodness today was busy. We had an unplanned family day full of shopping and errands. I didn't know if I was going to be able to fit a walk in, but it happened to work out perfectly. My husband needed to spend an hour doing business after we got home so my son and I headed out and let my husband work in peace. It had been sprinkling off and on today and I was afraid we might get rained on, hence the hat, but thankfully the weather held out. My husband wasn't the only one who had a peaceful hour. We had the road to ourselves tonight, and before I knew it, I looked down and my son was sleeping. He didn't have his usual nap today so I'm not surprised he fell asleep. We made it 3 miles again tonight. It was difficult. My body was very tired. I may need to reconsider the distance I walk on the weekends. I was thinking that maybe I should consider incorporating walks with shorter distances every few days to allow my body to rest, especially if we have a busy week ahead of us. What do you think? What are finding works best for you?
I hope you have had a great weekend. So far we have walked 3 out of the 365 days! I have walked 9 miles so far and have 991 to go. Just think, next week we will be out of the 990s and into the 980s. Not bad I think. Not bad at all! Have a great night and I will see you tomorrow!
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Hello friends! I hope you have had a pleasant day today and were able to walk a few miles. I didn't know if we were going to make it out the door this morning. My son did not have the motivation to get dressed and was stripping clothes off as fast as I could put them on him in our race to get out the door. Apparently I wasn't aware that it was dress yourself day at our house. He settled on blue warm-up pants, a cream shirt with a hawk on it, a football sweatshirt, and Spiderman rain boots. Whatever I guess. He may not have matched but at least he wasn't naked, right? Right!
What started out as a rocky morning turned into a wonderful day. I walked 3 miles with a new friend. It's always nice when you form friendships with the people you meet. We filled the morning with pleasant conversations and before you know it an hour had passed and we were back at our cars. I wish I could stay a little longer and chat, but the evening is coming to an end at our house so I must be going. But before I go, let me leave you with one of my favorite quotes from C.S Lewis! See you tomorrow for day 3! Hello my friend! Welcome to walking day 1 of 365! I am excited to begin this journey, how about you?
It is a beautiful morning here. The sun is up and peaking through the trees. You may notice in the picture that we a bit bundled up. I was surprised when I checked the temperature. It was 48 degrees this morning. I guess it is just another sign that fall is here. That's okay. We didn't mind. We grabbed our milk, our water, and our coats, and headed out the door. We walked 3 miles in 60 minutes. We would have only walked the 2.75 miles that I originally planned on, but my son requested that we go up a big hill. It is usually our turn around point, but I didn't mind. My buns needed the work out. Plus, it is nice that he is getting involved. The cows and horses we usually see weren't out this morning. I guess they needed their beauty sleep. Tre was bummed, but like he said, "maybe next time." I'm excited for you to start today too. This just as much your journey as it is mine. Please remember though to listen to your body. If 2.75 miles is too much for your today, that's okay. Do what you can do. Your body will let you know what is best. I'm proud of you for getting out there. It's hard to start something new sometimes, but you did it! And you won't be alone. I'll be with you the whole way! As we begin this journey together, there are a few things to keep in mind:
I'm curious to hear about your journey too. I'd love it if you'd share it with me. Tell me about it in the comments below! Where did your path take you today? Did you walk in the country like me or were you in the city? Did you walk along a mountain side, along a shoreline, or in the great plains? Did you walk alone, or did you have company? What was the best part? I can't wait to hear! Have a blessed day my friend! Talk to you tomorrow! Our power is on today. It is the first day in 5 days that I woke up to power and water. We had a storm roll through and the weather man talked about the rain so I was prepared for that, but I didn’t hear anything about wind. Wouldn’t you know it was the wind that got us? The storm came early this year. Normally I expect this kind of weather deep within the fall season or the beginning of winter, but not in August. At first I thought that we weren’t prepared for this, but I was surprised at how well we did. I felt like quite the homesteader. Our generator isn’t big enough to power the whole house, but it kept the refrigerator and a small light going so thankfully we had food and were not totally in the dark. Water on the other hand made me work for it. We are on a well so when the power is out, so is our water. No toilets, no showers, no running water of any kind. We brought it in from our 50 gallon water barrel a bucket at a time. These small items made it manageable, but we were roughing it for sure. We have one less voice in the house now. We took a little road trip and drove my sister back to college for her senior year. I miss her already, but I love hearing a new story from her every day. As a person, she is growing so much there and I can’t wait to see what this year brings for her. She is overflowing with life and is bound and determined to change the world. It is an amazing thing to be a part of. One of my favorite moments this summer was watching Benny and Joon with my sister one day during my son’s nap time. The song “I’m Gunna Be” came on, and it got me thinking. If you haven’t heard the song, the chorus goes something like this: “I would walk 500 miles, and I would walk 500 more. To be the man who walked 1,000 miles to fall down at your door…” The 1,000 miles part stuck out to me. I wondered what it would take to walk 1,000 miles. I might not be able to run long distances or do high intensity workouts, but I can walk. I bet I can walk 1,000 miles this year. So I did some calculations and if I average about 2 ¾ miles a day, I could walk 1,000 miles in a year. Now, I live in Washington so rains 9 months out of the year here, but with a little give and take, I bet I can do it.
What about you? Do you think you can do it? Will you walk 1,000 miles with me? We can start tomorrow. September 4th 2015 to September 5th 2016. Are you in? Great! I’m excited! How about you? I will post every day, and I would love it if you would post your progress too so we can do this together. Two heads are better than one right? Yay! Grab your tennis shoes and I will see you tomorrow!!!! I did something today that I never thought that I’d be able to do again...I ran!
It may not seem like a big thing, but believe me it is. We have these awesome neighbors that live about a quarter mile away and we were walking home from a play date at their house. My son was getting pretty cranky in his stroller and I knew we were reaching nap time. Looking down at him in I pondered, “I wonder if he would fall asleep in here if I picked up the pace a little.” We are blessed with another beautiful day today. The sun is shining, birds are chirping and butterflies are dancing all around, so I thought “Why not? Let’s see if I can run a little.” I use the term “run” loosely. It was more like a wog, a cross between a walk and a jog. Seriously the butterflies were flying faster than I was moving, but that was okay with me. I’m not a runner at heart. I’d like to be, but the only time I would run in the past was when I was playing a sport of some kind. I picked up a book about running from the library once. Yes I know, I am a nerd, but I did find it very helpful. It basically pointed out that I’d been doing everything wrong while running as an athlete my whole life. “What? There is actually a way that you are supposed to breathe while running? You mean It’s not just gasping for air? No? Well clearly I've been doing this wrong!” Today was better, way better. I picked a destination and I found a rhythm. I breathed in with four steps and out with four step, in with four, out with four and focused on that. Before I knew it we were at the driveway and my little man was almost asleep. So, I kept going. I picked the next the destination and continued breathing…in with four, out with four. I came to a curve in our road and turned around. At about the 1/2 mile mark I could feel that I was losing my breath and my rhythm so I regained focus: in with four, out with four. I was surprised by how easy it was. I stopped at 3/4 of a mile because we had come to our driveway again and I wasn’t sure how much my body could take. Lord knows I don't want to end up in the ER again. I knew that I still needed to stretch, eat something and rest before Tre, my son, woke up from his nap. Resting has become very important, and I’ve found that so have the smoothies I’ve been drinking. I made one today called Sweet Potato Pie. It is a recipe from Tess Masters, aka “The Blender Girl,” and it is easily becoming one of my favorites. I decrease the recipe to one serving, add two scoops of my all-in-one vegan nutritional shake powder, and am good to go. I cannot live without shakes like these. They keep me going. They are the My Grace In A Glass! I have attached the recipe for the Sweet Potato Pie Smoothie below. You should give it a try! In fact, maybe you should give something new a try - who knows, maybe you CAN do it! Have a great day my friends! Love, Danielle Sweet Potato Pie Smoothie Courtesy Of Tess Masters, The Blender Girl http://healthyblenderrecipes.com/recipes/vegan_sweet_potato_pie_smoothie1 Ingredients:
Hello my friends. I hope that it is sunny wherever you are today. It is beautiful here as we have had an unusually sunny June. It feels as though summer has come early. Being a first time gardener I found it true that sun makes your garden grow. I harvested my first large batch of spinach this week and I must say that I have a new found respect for farmers. It takes a lot of work to harvest and process the foods you grow. We were visited by rain recently and those tiny drops knocked down my lettuce. So the whole family went out this morning to begin harvesting. We picked our first carrot and I even made friends with a slug. Time passed quickly and even though we got an early start, the sun came out hot and quick and before we knew it, the lettuce started wilting. I’m working like mad to get it cleaned, prepped, and ready to share. Besides sharing this experience with my son, sharing the foods we produce with others is my favorite part. I couldn’t wait to get on the phone this morning and start asking our friends and family “who needs lettuce?” Giving the vegetables to people that I love makes me so happy. Deep down I hope I’m meeting a need of theirs. Maybe not, but I hope that this small gesture shows them how much I care about them. Who knows, maybe it’s my Love Language.
I was asked recently “How do you do it?” “How can you take of your son and your family and fully live when you feel so sick all the time?” Truth be told I can’t, not all the time, but I try my hardest every day. I choose to look at things differently. Life for me is no longer a race. It’s not about the things I do or do not have. It’s about who I have. I’m living for the moments. It is true what they say: people come and people go. I’ve had to say goodbye to some of the greatest people this last year. It is hardest when they leave, but I love making new friends too. I love when old friends resurface. I’ve reconnected recently with some of my favorite people. There were always there, but I just didn’t see it. I had to open myself up and learn to reach out. One of the blessings about going through a hard time is that sometimes people reach out to you. Sometimes you need those people, but you just didn’t know it. My son and I are about to get elbow deep in a sink full of lettuce leaves. I know already it is going to be one of my favorite moments of the day. “Are you coming?” He just asked with a wave of his hand. He’s going to be three soon and I can’t believe how much he’s changed this last year. I don’t want to miss this moment, so I must be going. I hope you take the time today to make some memories. You may want to take a picture too, it will last longer. Have a blessed day my friend! Talk to you soon, Danielle One of my favorite times of day is first thing in the morning. I'm not usually a morning person, but my son and I have a little morning routine. Usually it's full of lots of snuggles. I will wake up for those any day. The other thing we do is we put on our boots and head out to the water the garden. We're still in our pajamas so thank goodness we don't have any neighbors close by. Every morning we make our rounds and water the plants just as the sun starts to peak over the trees. Tre usually get bored after the first planter box and runs off to play. The air is full of laughter as he plays on the swing set or chases our dog Kahlua around the yard. She knocked over two of my freshly planted flower pots this morning, so we're not friends at the moment but she sure does love that boy. Tre's newest thing is that he likes to hold my hand and walk me all over the property to see the new things that he's found. I know one day his hand will be bigger than mine but I love to look down and see his little hands wrapped around my finger. "Look Mom," he says. "Look!" I'm so thankful for this time with him. The Esophageal Dysmotility I've been struggling with can make it very hard sometimes. I spent time in the ER again last week and it took a bit to recover. I'm having a very hard time eating enough calories and it's now apparent that my body doesn't function well when it's not getting the calories or nutrients it needs. I am working with a great Doctor and Dietician now, so hopefully we will be able to get back on track soon. It looks like I'll be blending most, if not all meals. My son Tre isn't too fond of the Vitamix, but he loves picking fresh greens for the smoothies. His favorite is the chocolate peanut butter shake. He lines up the glasses on the counter, my big one and his little one. He has no idea how many vegetables he's consuming, but I melt every time he looks up from his glass and gives me the biggest smile, smoothie mustache and all. My little man is asking for breakfast now so I must get going. I don't know what your day will bring you, but I hope you are able to take a moment and find something to be thankful for. Sometimes that is all you need to turn your day around. Find the bigger picture or a little happy thought. Happy day to you my friend, I hope it's a great one! Danielle It's quiet here this morning at our little country house. Everyone is still in bed and all you can hear is the chirping of the birds and the whirling of a window fan. Eight hours earlier you would have heard a house buzzing with the sound of bright and bubbly family.
My sister-in-law and her family are here to visit and it has been so much fun. The boys had a camp out in the back yard last night. I could still hear them whispering outside at midnight so I'm not surprised they are still sleeping. They were the cutest; dad's and sons and cousins carting their pillows out to the tent in their pajamas. "We'll be up at six," they said. The clock just chimmed telling me it is eight o'clock and I have yet to see anyone emerge from the tent. I can't begin to explain how happy a full house makes me. Taking care of people and being a hostess is kind of my thing. Filling this house wall to wall with love makes my heart burst with happiness. Our cousins came over too and we BBQ'd, took the kids on quad rides, made Smores over a bon fire and played well past sun down. Music and laughter filled the air. It was wonderful. I'm about to put on my apron and make a big breakfast for everyone. The dad's usually claim the kitchen in the morning, but since they are still sleeping, I get to do it. I don't mind at all. I am happiest in the kitchen cooking for my family. This weekend is special and I'd like to take a moment to remember the people who sacrificed their lives for us while serving in the armed forces. Thank you. We will be forever grateful. I don't know what this weekend brings you, but I hope you are able to fill it with moments of love and happiness. Until next time my friend, Danielle First I must apologize for allowing a little too much time to lapse between blog posts. These last two weeks have been a whirl wind of emotions for me and my family and I felt that I needed a bit of time to get perspective on the situation. Has that ever happened to you? Have you ever felt like there was a time in your life where so many things were happening at the same time that you needed take a step back and catch your breath? That’s just about where I am right now.
Two weeks ago my mother told me that she was leaving my father after close to 35 years of marriage and moving to California. She left yesterday, and as you could imagine, we were all a little shaken up. The dust is just beginning to settle, and out of the ashes new things are coming into the light. Mother’s Day was last Sunday. It was a hard day and I was beginning to become overwhelmed with emotion, but then I looked over and saw my sister snuggled up on the couch with my son. I instantly felt a warming in my heart. What you may not know, is that I have been acting as my sister’s guardian for most of our lives. My husband, son, and I had taken a road trip the day before and picked her up from college and brought her home. The sadness I was feeling over the loss of my mom was replaced by the love I felt for them. I was so thankful to have both my kids home and to be able to spend the day with them. For me, that is what Mother’s Day is all about. Families come in all shapes and sizes, and whether it be good or bad, change is inevitable. When it comes to our family, I am finding that I have many things to be thankful for. It is not perfect, and right now it may feel like a link in the chain is missing, but I can feel the bonds that hold us together getting stronger. In our family, the men outnumber the women. To me this is a blessing because of the type of men they are. My son has great role models, and he has a special relationship with each of them. I am thankful that they are part of our lives, and that they are helping shape my son into the man he is supposed to be. Now that I have picked myself up, dusted myself off, and put on my big girl panties, I hope to be talking to you again soon. A little more light hearted next time I hope. It’s wet outside here, so my son and I are about to put our boots and rain coats on and go puddle jumping. It’s bound to bring us a laugh or two! I wish you a wonderful, splish-splashy day! Talk to you soon! Have you ever had a time in your life when you've been derailed? You know, you're going along and everything is going great in your life, then boom something happens and knocks you off your track? Well I have.
Quite recently I had something happened that was so unexpected that it knocked me off my feet. I won't bore you with the details, but let's just say it totally derailed life as I knew it. It's been about a week. I've gone through my fair share of Kleenex and coconut ice cream and got a zit over this whole thing, so I think it's time to go about things differently. I think I'm going to look at it like I'm an ant. No, I didn't misspell that, I do actually mean ant. Have you ever watched an ant work? I have and they are amazing. They freak me out a bit, but in their natural environment they are pretty cool. I say this because they have a job to do and they are determined to see it through. No matter what happens, they just keep marching. Even if they get knocked off their path or their path gets blocked, they find a way through. They go over, under, around, they even go through it if they must. Sometimes they even band together to overcome the obstacle. So, in this instance, I choose to be an ant. It's not going to be easy. I don't expect it to be, especially when you suffer a loss like this. A piece of me is missing, but I can't be sad forever. It may take a little while, but soon I will be able to breathe again without it hurting. Pieces will fall back into place, and the wounds will heal. I have to say that I am so thankful for the people reaching out and providing support. They are all like little ants coming out of the woodwork and helping me find my path again. Friendships are being made and bonds are being strengthened. You may think it is a little odd that I referred to ants, but if you think about it at times we are like them. There are times in our life when we carry things with us. We carry pain, worry, a burden, a secret. We may even carry a dream or hope. I haven't mentioned it before, but I am a woman of faith. I am a big fan of quotes, but this time I am going to leave you with a passage, a verse to provide you strength and help you heal if you are going through something like I am now. Romans 15:13 says: " I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit." |
AuthorHi there! Welcome to Grace In A Glass. My name is Danielle and I am so happy that you are visiting this site today. We all have something in life that we are working to overcome. I began blogging about my struggle with overcoming Esophageal Dysmotility and Crohn's Disease with the hope of reaching others with words of encouragement and hope. Thank you for letting me share my stories with you, and hope you have the most wonderful day! Archives
November 2022
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