Excitement Abounds

'Tis the season yet again, time to start planning my meal reservations for my upcoming trip to Walt Disney World to run the Wine and Dine Half Marathon. I couldn't be more excited. I have my flight books, I have registered for the Wine and Dine Half Marathon, and hotel plans are in the works, I have a few things stirring so we'll see what option my friend and I decide upon. HOWEVER, we are still allowed to make our dining reservations (which excites me).

On my list sit down dining for this trip is:

• Be Our Guest  
• OVER THE TOP EXCITED to go here
• Chef Mickey's 
• I want to do the dinner option
• The Seas 
• Classic and food is sooooo yummy
• Tony's or Mama Melrose
• I am tempted to go back to Tony's - for a while I was very unimpressed by Tony's but I heard from several different sources that they have dramatically improved their food
• Mama Melrose is a classic and always good in my mind
• Artist Point or Narcoossee's
• I haven't been to either but have heard good things about them both
• They are a two-fer in terms of the meal plan so that always adds into my decisions
• I do like to try one two-fer every time I am there
• Teppan Edo
• yum. enough said.

Those are just my table service choices for now, we'll see how it all pans out in the next week or so. I'll keep you posted! I am excited to say the least. This trip is beginning to become real. 

Semi-related side note: I just downloaded and printed off the training plan I am hoping to use for the Wine and Dine! Whoop Whoop! I prefer the Hal Higdon ones or the ones written by Jeff Galloway on the runDisney site.

What is on your dining plans for when you are in Disney World?

Have you been to Artist Point or Narcoossee's? Which would you recommend?

What am I missing?

What training plans do you like to use when you are training?

Frustrating

After coming back from a major youth trip I am now finally able to see my desk again (woot woot) and am now seriously working on planning for the next year (yay)! I thought I was ahead of the game and began looking at youthworks sites, but some are already filling! I hate the feeling of being behind the 8 ball. It is only August and already feeling behind. I am excited to explore a new avenue for my middle school youth, mission trips through LutherCrest bible camp. I just couldn't believe that people (lots of people) are already ahead of the game and have their sites booked for next summer.

In exciting news I do actually really enjoy the season of planning and dreaming. I love the season of hope for the future, a season of preparing for growth, a season of tending the fields and evaluating the last year what went well and what needs help. My South Dakota roots have taught me the value of tending the field and cleaning up last year's field before beginning next years.

It could be that part of my planning joys is in knowing that I am not going anywhere next year, I am not moving, I get to continue to walk alongside the same people, I get to keep my roots planted. I have led a very nomadic life since graduating high school and so there is great comfort in building longer term relationships and remaining in the same place. I love that I just rolled over all my leftover mission trip money (very small amount but some none the less) from this past year to the 2015 youth gathering - knowing that there is a very good chance I could be here then! I love it!

Total side note: I rearranged my desk yesterday and there is something liberating about rearranging stuff. I am not yet committed to keeping it the new way but I am already liking it better because I can see out the window and I am not staring directly out my door. I love being able to look outside even if it is into a parking lot, I am loving not looking out my door and having to stare at everyone who comes in the office, people are more than welcome to come in my office but I don't have the strange need to look up every time our office door opens. It is glorious.

A view from my newly arranged desk looking out the window.
Sorry about the not amazing photo- it was taken on my phone

pressure to be epic.

The title of this post is because for some reason once I haven't blogged in a while I feel some strange internal pressure that the next blog must be AWESOME, which really, I am not sure where this pressure comes from but it exists inside of me, so don't expect epicness in this post, rather it will be ramblings.

The last month has been NUTS to say the least, but wonderfully nuts! I just returned from the National Youth Gathering with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America - I traveled with the Northeastern Minnesota synod (550 of us), 21 from the congregation I serve. The 11 day trip came with lots of challenges, fun, and ways in which God met us along the path. It was marvelous. At the beginning of the month I got to stand next to my best friend as she got married back in South Dakota. Wonderfullness abounds.

July's Yay God moments:
-Marc got a new job!
-Katie and Andy got married
-The Synod Journey -ELCA National Youth Gathering
-several trips out kayaking
-a fixed sump pump and sewage drain (the broke sump pump and sewage backing up into my basement was less than fun - but now that the problem is remedied it is nice to not have to worry about them)
-sleep - I was long over due for some good sleep
-planning season - now that some things have come to an end it is time to ramp up the planning for next school year and summer - never a dull moment in ministry
-my closet remodel (sounds lame but trust me the closet needed finishing) is done (just need to hang a set of shelves)
-my family and friends who have helped me keep my sanity during this all
-yarn - one can never have enough yarn while going on 26 hour bus trips (one way)


Dear Sarah,
    You now have broke your blogging silence feel free to go crazy and blog away - no pressure now, the lame post is over.
Love, me