5k Finisher!

I like lists and pictures so let's recap my first 5k with both!

What I learned: 

- I have a lot more energy, adrenaline, excitement on race day than on a normal day
- I can run a lot faster than I give myself credit for (I finished in 38:00 and I was shooting for just under 45:00 so I blew that goal out of the water).
- I run faster when I can run with someone
- I love having a support team who makes signs. The other runners get jealous.
- I love that you get a medal for finishing. If makes me feel twice as accomplished.
- I now identify myself as a runner. I have a Running Board on Pintrest and everything. 

- I really enjoy running.
- I am exciting to start preparing for another one.
- I foresee running longer races in my future. We will see. I have to get through the 25 goals first.

Picture time!

I passed Jenel and Jaclyn but they weren't looking. A few moments later, Jenel had sprinted up to take this picture. I'm laughing in most of the pictures because Jenel and Jaclyn were being hilarious as I ran by them. The fact that I could smile and laugh as I ran by was pretty impressive.

Almost at the finish line. I was definitely ready to be done. And glad it was a downhill stretch.

Pretty happy when I thought my time was 38:17 (based on what my iPhone said). Little did I know it was actually 38:00. 

My running buddy, Carol.

The signs Jaclyn and Jenel made for me. They were pretty impressive.

The Top Things I Learned While in the Pacific Northwest a Second Time

Here are the lessons we learned in Portland and Seattle round 2. (Check out the first trip as well).

1. Time travel is not for everyone. 
2. First street still comes after second street.
3. Always bring comfortable walking shoes. 
4. Sometimes, places really do live up to all the hype you've built.
5. Get a hotel close to where you want to be. No one likes to travel long distances just to get to your destination. 
6. Be friendly with the locals, it makes you feel less like a tourist.
7. The locals usually wait to come out until night. (See previous post).
8. Dragons have big asses and thus difficult to eat sometimes.
9. A rainbow tastes like water.
10. Seattle's Best doesn't make it the best coffee in Seattle. Sometimes the best coffee is the least expected places.
11. The definition if a tater tot is: a barrel shaped potato unit.
12. Making friends on planes is fun. It makes the trip go faster. Especially when you are stuck on the runway. 
13. Badgers are much, much scarier than spiders are.
14. Sometimes the random looking places are the best ones to eat at. 
15. When in doubt, ask the server for a recommendation. They will not steer you wrong. 
16. It is ok to get beer at wine bar. The servers will even give you props.
17. Coasters still make great FREE souvenirs. And don't be afraid to ask for some to go. They will give them away. 
18. Stickers make the best CHEAP souvenirs. Especially those about Sasquatch. 
19. Sasquatch is still a big deal in the Pacific Northwest. 
20. Guitars can be made out of old cigar boxes.
21. It is ok to say no to a place that is too expensive. 
22. The best Mac and Cheese is at King Solomon's Reef in Olympia, WA. I dare to you to find a better mac and cheese out there. 
23. Do not assume because a place is not LA that traffic will not be bad at rush hour. 
24. Hangry = hungry plus angry. Be aware of anyone while in "hangry" state for you never know what will happen. 
25. Sometimes the best plan is to not have a plan. 

Beer. Tall Bikes. Bears Costumes.

Bears. Tall Bikes. Beer.

Three things that appear in the Blue Like Jazz movie along with a writer's ability to tell a story, a producer's faith in the project, and thousands of willing fans that want to make history.

When I first read the Blue Like Jazz book I was intrigued. Donald Miller spoke about faith and spirituality in a fresh way that I coming from a more conservative background had been only recently encountering since I had attended college the three years previous (to reading the book). I was hooked from the start because I felt like I was speaking with Donald Miller at a coffee shop about his views on faith, Jesus, religion, and fathers.

When I heard the movie was coming, it took a while for me to be on board. I was one of the first to be dedicated, and then I saw how important it was that this story came into being.

The story follows a young (and moderately fictionalized) Don Miller as he enters in freshman year at Reed College in Portland Oregon. Trying to escape infidelity and hypocrisy of his Texas Baptist roots, he seeks acceptance in all forms: getting drunk, making fun of God, drinking more beer, riding tall bikes, civil disobedience, and drinking more beer. Don faces the reality that most college freshman do - they feel like a astronaut in a robot invasion, just slightly out of place and trying desperately to belong. In addition, many Christian students, as they transition into new phases like college test God - to prove them that putting their faith in Him has not been a waste.

And Don feels his 19 years as Texas Baptist have been a waste, so he tries to escape. But Don realizes that no matter how much he tries to escape God, he has failed. He realizes there is brokenness in the world - youth pastors mess up, parents let you down, people have affairs, cooperations screw over the little guy but in spite of that there is a lot of good in the world. When the movie is over, many of the character's questions of "where is meaning in life" and "Why would God let this happen to my life" and "Where is God in the broken crap of our lives" remain to be fully answered. The real Donald Miller and Producer Steve Tyler want us to question that for ourselves and come to our own answers.

I appreciate that this movie doesn't wrap up nicely. Many "Christian" movies or many sentimental (they are not always one in the same, but many are) try to have a perfect little ending to their movie - with the answer to the deep questions of life easily spelled out. But you can't answer these deep questions in a two hour movie and I think Blue Like Jazz really does a great job at this. This isn't your typical Christian movie. In fact I used the term "Christian" with hesitance. Does it have a nice ending? No. Does it have a lot of sentimentality? No. But does it talk about Jesus - absolutely. Does it wrestle with hard, deep Christian themes - of course. But beware - if you don't like beer, tall bikes, or bear costumes this movie may not be for you.

The Blue Like Jazz Trailer...

Bears, Bicycles, and Jesus

I went to see Blue Like Jazz at a screening in LA and was amazing by the acting, the filming, and the direction. I think was more excited to see this than The Hunger Games movie.

Let me begin by saying that I don't traditionally like Christian movies. I find they are often too cheesy (and not the good kind that would come on a pizza) for my taste. They either try too hard to be "Christian" and put unnecessary Christian dialogue or action in the movie or too hard to appeal to a secular audience and have lost all Christian themes/morals in the movie. I'm not saying that Christian movies are awful and I know many people who like them. But they are the equivalent of Hallmark or Nora Roberts movies - good for a quick cry and then easily forgettable.

What is different about Blue Like Jazz is the hoensty. Donald Miller knows how to tell good stories. I think that is why I like him as an author is he tells amazing stories. His books don't feel like regular Christian books but rather like you are in a coffee shop with him and he is telling you his life story. The movie has the same feel, like you are sitting down with 20 year old Don Miller and he is telling you about his first year at Reed College in Portland and how Jesus met him through his pot smoking, beer drinking, and lesbian classmates.

The characters in this movie are real, partly because they are all based on real people, but also the actors portray them exceptionally well. The movie allows you to question why you "do" religion but also brings you back to the essential point of the power and necessity of Jesus. I like that the movie itself never questions who Jesus is but rather you are watching Don question him. It allowed me to go there with Don (if I needed to) or to watch along, emphasizing with him. It allowed me to evaluate my own life - where had Jesus met in the past and where did I need him to meet me again.

It was a beautiful story and I cannot wait to see it again.