Thing #77: Watermelon

I LOVE WATERMELON.

Since childhood, this food has heralded the return of my favorite season: summer. It also signaled the approach of my favorite childhood day, my birthday. In my mind, the taste and smell of watermelon intermix with squealing games of catch, barefoot runs around the yard, lightening bugs, and thunderstorms. The drip of watermelon down my hands and arms feels like the return of freedom and adventure. Watermelon in the perfect stage of ripeness oozes happiness.

And what else is there to say?

Thing #76: The iPhone

I'm pathetically in love with a gadget. It's cute. It's functional. It's fun.

I'm addicted.

How did I manage for so long without a phone that allows me to both text and time a soccer game? How did I make it through a workday without a device that allows me to peek at the latest Facebook news feed? How did I tolerate walking to my computer to look at weather.com when I could have done so in bed?

These (and MANY MANY more) are the quandaries that I have found myself facing in the past 4 days since the purchase of my latest love, my iPhone. It is incredibly fabulous. I am instantly connected to my Facebook friends, many of whom I'd never speak with ON the phone, thus making it a more practical "communication" tool than a traditional phone. I have discovered that if a call comes through while I am broadcasting my iPod through my speakers, that the caller can ALSO be broadcasted through the car's speakers (though this is a bit creepy, admittedly). I can make really lame pictures look REALLY cool with a free app I downloaded. I can download apps. I can look busy when doing absolutely nothing on the internet to which I am immediately connected. Really, honestly, if I were to go on about the things that I find amazing about this phone, I would likely run out of room and I would certainly exceed your attention span.

I also admit that some of my infatuation with this phone is a result of my lag time in phone upgrades. As one of the few members of the 20-something American population without a phone that did more than text and call, I was a bit behind. I am simply mesmerized that I hold the power to define words, look up a Bible verse, and track my workout in the palm of my hand.

And it's cute. Did I mention cute? It's white, with a delightful pink cover that is no doubt less damage resistant than I require.

Ahhhh...iPhone, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways.

Thing #75: Mornings

Ok, I know I'm not a "morning person" necessarily, but just because YOU wouldn't want to be around me in the morning does NOT mean that I don't enjoy the mornings.

It turns out that I'm getting old. Over break, I started each day between 7 and 8:30. This is unheard of for Katie. But, it turns out, that I quite enjoy the early mornings. It's nice to wake up as the world comes alive. That subtle shadow as the sun rises is hard to match later in the day. I've also found that working out early is delightful. Let's take today, for instance. Normally, I drive to work around 6:20 AM and watch jealously as others run. Today, I have an off-site meeting all day, so I don't need to leave home until 8. Therefore, I ran at 6:30. I feel great! I can start the day off with satisfaction and not feel the stress associated with the "nap or go run" debate. Also, I feel fairly confident that my coffee will taste better.

Anyway, I just thought it was noteworthy that my perspective on mornings is shifting into this state of enjoyment. In fact, I quite savor them. Delightful.

Thing #74: A new PR

I am not a fast runner, which I have said (and will say) over and over and over again. I am, however, persistent. I just keep at it even when I want to give up. This weekend was no different. It was time for yet another Shamrock Half (the third of them I've run), and I was determined to finish no slower than I had finished in the past. And I didn't.

I finished faster. Five minutes faster.

As I was running, I realized that I was running a steady pace, and I was even picking it up pretty regularly. At 9 miles, I was right at 1 hour 30 minutes, and I knew that the 4.1 miles ahead could bring me pretty close to my 2 hr 10 min goal from January, so I picked it up. I ran every mile after that under 10, and my final full mile (mile 13) was 9:17, which is SPEEDY for me. I kept saying to myself, "Mom thinks you can do this," "you CAN do this," and "God, help me do this!" And I did. I ran it in 2:11:45 which is pretty dang close to a lofty goal I set in January.

I feel strong, accomplished, and just plain amazed that my body (and I) could handle that little extra push. The feeling of a personal record is indescribable.

I'm going to shoot for under 2 hours. I will do it. I WILL.

Thing #73: Homemade Soup

Until 2011, I had never ventured into the realm of homemade soup. I had once ventured to make stew, and it was delightful. However, soup and stew seem different to me. Plus, stew always seems a little more involved, especially with the wait. Soup, though, soup is different.

The soup thing is so incredibly easy. Step one: open and poor in a little chicken or vegetable stock. Step two: open whatever variety of canned vegetables you happen to have in the pantry. Step three: cook and add whatever meat you have in the freezer/fridge. Step four: add seasoning to taste. Voila. Soup.

This is quite the exciting revelation for easy cooking that feeds me for many days.

Today's soup included tomato sauce, chicken stock, corn, green beans, kidney beans, peas, mushrooms, and a little ground turkey. It's delightful. And easy. And gosh, who doesn't like that combination?

Thing #72: Boast-less Love

Confession: I always check Facebook before I leave for school in the morning. I recognize that this is ridiculous and a waste of time; however, I will continue to do so. This morning, Facebook was full of pictures of flowers, accounts of dinners eaten, and boasts about the things that girls' significant others did for them.

I recognize that it's good to be happy. I know that it's great to give appreciation. Still, something just rubs me the wrong way about the accounts of what people did. I'm reminded of 1 Corinthians 13 - "love does not boast." I guess this just isn't my kind of love.

My kind of love is quiet, simple, everyday. We didn't do something fancy. John didn't surprise me. We just celebrated the way we are... and I'm grateful that he doesn't expect me to boast to others about what he did, and that I don't feel the need to put it out there. We are content. Private. The love we share is ours, and it's good to know that he and I are on the same page there.

Thing #71: Haircuts

It's hard to deny how wonderful a good haircut can be. You go in thinking, "Yeah, my hair is a little...eh" and leave thinking, "Wow, how fabulous is this?" It's a wonderful attitude pick-me-up. The wash is delightful - a massage that you simply can't give yourself. Then the cut lightens the load a bit. And finally, the blow dry is always better than what you could do. The shiny of the hair makes you wish you could have your hair done every day.

Just fabulous :)