A New Leaf

The seminary decision has been made. The application is filled out and being processed. We have started looking for apartments and/or seminary housing online. I think it would probably be alright to post our decision on here; however, I have not talked to Andrew much about this and want to wait before completely spilling the beans. Maybe by this time next week, the faithful 5 and-a-half of you who read this blog will know if we have decided to move to Fort Worth or Louisville. Until then, enjoy the suspense.

I am ready for the February 27th Cowtown Marathon to be here and be over. After another weekend of atypical snow and ice here in Norman, I went on an 18-mile run yesterday afternoon. Fortunately, my friend (Katie) went with me. Up until now, I have not had a friend who has lost her mind about running like I have, so I have been doing all of my training alone. Having someone next to me made the time pass more quickly, and she kept me motivated to finish the run in spite of the many times we had to change our route (because of ice) and slosh through huge puddles of melting snow. Nevertheless, training is getting old. There are the normal aches and pains that running forces upon one's body. (I say "normal", but I'm not sure I've ever felt like I was not going to be able to walk the next day until my training began.) And there is the drudgery of spending several hours a day on a long run. But for me, there is an added challenge. Because I am hypoglycemic, I sometimes literally feel like I am going to pass out multiple times a day. That is scary. I feel like I am eating constantly, but my body just does not seem to know what to do with a marathon. I have run 22 miles so far and feel confident that 26.2 will be okay. I just want to do it. Now.

Andrew's big work party ("Paycom Prom") is this weekend at the Gaylord Texan in Grapevine. For us, this means a weekend getaway with all expenses paid. Needless to say, we are excited.

As I mentioned earlier, we did get an unusual amount of snow and ice here this week. Normally, this kind of weather happens maybe once a year in Norman. (I actually think once a year is even a stretch.) This year, we have already had two big snowstorms. There was the epic Christmas Eve blizzard, which resulted in 14 inches of snow and 3-4 foot drifts. Then this week, we had a good 3/4 inch of ice, plus about 7-8 inches of snow. I love to look at the snow. It is beautiful when it falls to the ground in huge flakes like it did on Friday. I do not, however, enjoy walking or driving in it. Tim spent the night with us on Thursday and kept me company for the entire day on Friday while Andrew was at work. (I still do not understand how his company expected him to drive 30 miles on a solid sheet of ice that day, but he was a real trooper about it.) The most productive thing Tim and I did all day was yoga. God certainly knows when we need a break, and I'm thankful that He builds little things like snowstorms into our lives so that we are forced to slow down a bit.

One thing I just found that I love about snow is Snow Ice Cream. Here is the recipe. Hopefully you Oklahomans can try some before the snow is gone. Enjoy!

*Put 8 cups of snow in a bowl. Pour 1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk over the top. Add 1 tsp. vanilla. Mix and serve immediately.*

In Christ alone,
Mary Rachel