Montana recreation

Woohoo! Blogger added a video feature.
When I was in Montana earlier in October, my dad took me for a ride in the motorcycle sidecar.
Mom meant to take a picture, but made it a video. I think it's funny to watch, but beware--you might get motion sickness.

The night I arrived in Montana my mom and I went for a walk in the horse pasture. I then decided to go run on a smoother surface--the road. Mom warned (as all good mothers should even if their children are nearly 30, "Watch for cars." I saw only one in all 20+ minutes on the road.

Also on the road in Montana, one can ride a motorcycle 125 mph (this is a hypothetical experience of course)!

Mountain biking with my brother on the road and off (into a knee-deep river for him), also brought much enjoyment.

Finally, the family (including aunt and cousins on my dad's side) experienced a beautiful mountain hike. Though windy, it was about a picturesque as this part of the country gets.

More wedding photos

Isabell's photographer, Leo Chen, did an amazing job .

This picture makes me laugh every time I look at it.
To see more photos on his web site, click here.

RecoveRED

Joy comes in the morning.

The bridesmaids wore black

But we didn’t know someone would die at the rehearsal dinner.

We arrived in good spirits after dressing up for the occasion. My mom told me that grandpa said as far as he was concerned this dinner was the main event of the weekend.

My cousin Bell would soon be marrying Mark in the cathedral where she was raised—her childhood dream. We sported our slippers since shoes weren’t allowed on the hardwood floors of the rustic yet immaculate lodge/bed & breakfast. I said hello to people I hadn’t seen in months, including my grandpa.

With him in a wheelchair with one eye and one hand and limited hearing, it makes it harder to keep in touch. The last time we’d talked was Sept . 9, Grandparent’s Day. I called to tell him I love and appreciate him. You never know when the last time you’ll speak with someone will be.

Seventy people filled the Elkhorn Lodge for the rehearsal dinner Friday night. We sat at white linen-covered tables overlooking the big blue Montana sky and prominent mountains.
We came to celebrate love and new beginnings. Filet mignon and halibut graced our plates; champagne filled glasses clinking to toast the just-about married couple.

And then he choked.
I didn’t know what was going on with my grandpa at the next table until they wheeled him aside and started performing the Heimlich. Then they wheeled him past me, his head slumped over, face turning purple.
The priest stood up and said a prayer, said they’d called 911.

But it was too late. There was nothing any of the medical professionals in the room could have done.
They laid him down by the buffet line behind the fireplace. And we couldn’t believe this was happening. Why here? Why now?

The cousins huddled, held each other, and cried.
My mom, grandpa Herb’s only surviving child, cried too. But her hope rose above the chaos and confusion. She reminded us this happened for a reason. When else would we all be together at one time?
And what a blessing to die quickly rather than fight slow, painful illness. He is in a better place now with no more suffering. We even laughed a little that no one would be forgetting this event.

People stood up and gave tribute to Herb and talked about the “greatest generation.” Others proclaimed a new generation—Mark and Bell will make history of their own. Grandpa Herb’s legacy of love and service remains in each of us as we go forward.

We celebrated love and new beginnings. A couple to be joined together forever and a war-weary soul ready for eternal glory.

Grandpa Herb would have turned 90 on Oct. 8, 2007. We will celebrate him with a memorial on that weekend. Click here to read his obituary.

My favorite season

Thank God it's September!
Fall is my favorite season and I'm thankful to be able to enjoy it with quality company.
Joel and I enjoyed a spectacular but windy mtn bike ride Friday, after inaugurating my new bike rack with two bikes.
My car will again don two bikes when Katie and I leave for Wyoming/Montana tomorrow.
More pictures to come!

Run for One

We did it!

A great big THANK YOU to those of you who helped me accomplish this goal.

I completed the Run for One and finished the Virginia Beach Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon Sept. 2, 2007. I felt like it was the best race I'd ever run.

It wasn't my fastest time (1:42), but it was better than I'd expected (1:48). It worked out to be about 8.3 minute miles (for 13 miles). And the feeling of being a part of something bigger than myself was remarkable and irreplaceable.

For race results, click the medals (credit: rnrhalf.com photo gallery). My bib #6209.












For photos of me running, click this photo (credit: rnrhalf.com photo gallery).




Our hotel was right on the beach, and I enjoyed some down-time after a very hectic week (layoffs at work).
Our coach, Lisa Rainsberger (Boston marathon winner), with me and other runners for one-rs.

"Let us run with endurance the race God has set before us." Hebrews 12:2

Saying "Yes" to God

I started reading this book and God's been testing me on it.
For example, yesterday I was buying lunch at Whole Foods. For some reason, I decided to get an extra $5 cash, though I hardly ever carry cash. "I might need it for something," I thought.
I walked out to my car and heard a man asking a woman for money so he could fill up the gas can in his hand, and something about his mom and Wal-Mart.
She abruptly said "No" and walked away.
He then came up and asked me and I gave him the $5 bill. Now, I don't know what he actually did with it and whether his story was truthful. But I suppose that's not for me to decide.
God calls each of us to respond to his nods.
I'm not blogging about this to pat myself on the back (Remember, it's not about me!). Instead, I'm proclaiming a public challenge for myself and others. Next time I might actually give with a spirit of love, rather than guilt. Next time may I take a few moments to actually hear a man's story, ask his name, and give him an encouraging word as well.
Next time, may I say "Yes" to God.

Friday Quote Collection: part 1

Today I bring you a random collection of quotes I like. Which is your favorite?

"The most effective way to do it, is to do it." --Amelia Earhart, aviation pioneer

"It takes 20 years of hard work to become an overnight success." --Diana Rankin, writer and public speaker

"Experience is the name everyone gives to his mistakes." --Oscar Wilde,Irish playwright, novelist and poet

"It is never too late -- in fiction or in life -- to revise." --Nancy Thayer,novelist

"You can't hold a man down without staying down with him." --Booker T. Washington, educator and author

"I think the one lesson I have learned is that there is no substitute for paying attention." --Diane Sawyer, TV journalist

"How often we fail to realize our good fortune in living in a country where happiness is more than a lack of tragedy." --Paul Sweeney, author

"When someone does something good, applaud! You will make two people happy." --Samuel Goldwyn, film producer

"You can't wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club." --Jack London, writer

"Pretend that every single person you meet has a sign around his or her neck that says, 'Make me feel important.'" --Mary Kay Ash, founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics

"I prefer to be true to myself, even at the hazard of incurring the ridicule of others, rather than to be false, and to incur my own abhorrence." --Frederick Douglass, abolitionist, writer and speaker

"There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all." --Peter F. Drucker, writer, professor and consultant

"It is every man's obligation to put back into the world at least the equivalent of what he takes out of it." --Albert Einstein, German-born Swiss-American physicist

The Devil Came on Horseback

Last night a friend and I attended the Windrider Forum to see documentary film, The Devil Came on Horseback.

Former US Marine Captain Brian Steidle was hired to monitor a ceasefire in the Darfur region of Western Sudan.

Communicating to loved ones back home in 2004, he wrote:

"I'm afraid that we will be hearing about Sudan for a long time to come."

While the tragedy continues (it’s already claimed 400,000 lives and displaced 2.5 million people over the past few years), it’s surprising how little it’s being talked about, and how many people don’t know what’s going on there. I confess I’d been ignorant about it until now.

The stunning documentary follows Steidle, armed only with a camera, pen and paper, as he joins the African Union as a military observer in the heart of the conflicts—an area inaccessible to journalists. There he directly witnesses and documents the brutal, systematic annihilation of black African Sudanese by the Arab militia group, the Janjaweed. Certain that if only the West knew of these atrocities they would be compelled to act, Steidle returns home to America with over a thousand explicit photographs and begins an impassioned awareness campaign.

The Devil Came on Horseback is a deeply affecting story of one man's life-changing transition from witness to activist and comes as a pressing reminder that the Darfur genocide continues to this day—and something must be done to stop it.

It’s hard to know what to do with such a huge crisis. I’d suggest first seeing the film and learning more about the situation. Click here for more.

Then, decide what your role is in preventing this genocide from continuing.

“More Different” Small Town Sunday

Inspired by KLerch’s “Small Town Sunday” posts, I’ve decided to follow suit with one (or maybe more to come) of my own, since I’ve recently moved to small town Monument, up the road 17 miles from Colorado Springs.

For years I’ve been actively involved in a contemporary community—a majority of whom are twentysomethings—which meets on Sunday nights. While I plan to remain committed there, I think it’s beneficial to experience something different once in a while.

My venture today brought me to Saint Matthias Episcopal Church, a small brick building with a red door and windows overlooking Pikes Peak. (I would have taken pictures, but I can’t find my camera’s battery charger!)I chose this one because of its location, only half a mile from the house, and a desire to experience more of a liturgical tradition. But this morning as I started to get ready, I hesitated, started talking myself out of it.

“There are a lot of other things I could be doing,” I reasoned in my head. Really, I was a little nervous. What should I wear? What will this place be like? Will I stick out? Will people stare at me and treat me like an outsider?

It takes a lot of courage, I realized, to walk into a new church by yourself. Because I felt afraid was all the more reason to go. And as I walked to the church (how fun is that, to not have to drive?), the sun shining down on a beautiful day, I started to get excited for this new experience.

I was greeted at the door with a smile and a 16-page bulletin/program/whatchacallit.
I sat down on the wooden pew and observed my surroundings. The walls made of rich-looking wood, each stained glass window featuring a saint. Joining me on the pew, a white-haired man who held his bulletin/program/whatchacallit right in front of his face, next to his nose, so he could read it. Half-a-dozen other elderly couples, and just as many middle-aged, some teenagers, and a gaggle of children.

Today happened to be children’s Sunday, so the Reverend sported a brightly colored sash, and invited the kiddos up for an interactive sermon about rules and rewards.
He asked, “Who makes the rules?”One enthusiastic child piped up, “Our teachers, our mothers, and Jesus!” The colorful Rev. told the children there are lots and lots of rules in the Bible and they agreed, “Sometimes they don’t seem very fun.”

Referencing our reading from Deuteronomy 30:9-14, “For the LORD will again take delight in prospering you…when you obey the Lord your God by observing his commandments,” the Rev. said there are rewards to following the rules.

Another reward, referring to Luke 10:25-37, he said, is eternal life. “But you little people don’t worry about that. You don’t think about that until you’re 50.”

He added that Jesus said there are too many rules, so many we can’t keep track of them all, and the greatest command is to love God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind; and the second like it, love your neighbor.

Love God and love people—seems simple enough. Though adult life introduces many complexities of living out the God-glorifying life, I would probably be better off if I could keep that top-of-mind as a personal mission.

There was no other sermon to the congregation. The service proceeded with liturgy—recitation of the Nicene Creed, prayers of the people (including 44 by name) hymns, a prayer of confession, offering, and communion.

There’s something about that kind of ordered service that draws me into worship that a contemporary service doesn’t. There’s a sense of reverential awe. The organ playing and the congregation singing “Be Thou My Vision” almost sent me to tears, as did reading out loud Psalm 25:6: “Remember not the sins of my youth and my transgressions.”

God is the same amazing Savior in this church as He is in all the other churches I’ve been in. He’s the same yesterday, today, and forever. He is God whether I acknowledge and obey Him, or not. And yet, because He is God, I want His rules and give thanks for His rewards.

Skydiving

“The life of faith has to do with extraordinary experience; the life of faith has to do with ordinary experience. Neither cancels out the other; neither takes precedence over the other…The life of faith has to do with the glories of discovering far more in life than we ever dreamed of; the life of faith has to do with doggedly putting one flat foot in front of the other, wondering what the point of it all is. Neither cancels out the other; neither takes precedence over the other.” –Eugene Peterson, The Message Remix, Wisdom intro

Faith is often likened to taking a flying leap—something like jumping out of an airplane and hoping your parachute inflates. I like this quote by Eugene Peterson because it illustrates that faith also happens in the three hours you’re waiting to get in the airplane, and it happens after you come down from the thrill of the ride.

I went skydiving for the first time Sunday, June 10, to celebrate my best friend Nadia’s graduation. Words do little for me to describe the AMAZING experience, so here are some photos.

Nadia and I get excited to jump.

Still excited as I load the plane with my instructor, Adi.Nadia heads out with her photographer.

Ready or not, here I go!Grabbing my photographer's hand so she could spin us around.

There goes the parachute.

Watching Nadia land.
Do I look happy and windblown?

It's official: I'm running for one!

I just did one of the more scary things in my life: I asked people for money.

After prayerful consideration, I've decided to participate in Children's HopeChest's Run for One program. (For more background info. I blogged about it here.)

I sent out an e-mail to the staff at my workplace asking them to consider donating. I'll be asking many more people in the future and praying hard for God to provide.

I’ve committed to personally raise $4,000 for Children’s HopeChest, in order to run the September 2, 2007 half-marathon in Virginia Beach and more importantly, raise funds for an orphan.

I’ve run a marathon and several half-marathons before, but I’ve never raised any significant amount of support. So, this is several thousand steps of faith for me. I pray God will show up in big and unexpected ways!

Outside Canon City

Shelf Road: check it out for a variety of exhilerating climbs.

Red Canyon Park: after our bike ride, Katie and Becca enjoy the mixture of sun and rain.

Sun+rain=beautiful rainbows.
Amazingly, this rainbow was not visible with sunglasses.

Tip for life #1: If you want to see a rainbow (hope), take off your glasses (dark-colored, negative perspective).

Tip #2: Never lick a cactus popsicle.

Tip #3: If you're in Canon City, definitely check out the stunning scenery at Red Canyon and take a couple friends.

Nellie grad weekend pics

Family reflections

My only living grandparent is 89 years old and he’s seen five grand-children graduate from college: my brother Olin, me, my cousins Bell, Herb, and now Nellie.

It’s been years since all of us have been together. Though we grew up only hours apart (a short distance in Montana terms), now we’re spread out by states and restricted by the bounds of adult responsibility. Work often prevents Christmastime travel, and group visits become fewer and farther between. None of us knows if the next time we all gather will be a happy or sad event—a wedding or a funeral.

But we were happy Mother’s Day weekend, excited for Nellie to start her new job in Alaska after graduation. Before I came back to Colorado I got to visit Herb’s apartment in Seattle. He showed me videos from 1986 he recently converted to DVD.

On screen I saw the five cousins out in the woods roasting hot dogs. Olin, the oldest, at 8 years, tended the fire, poking it, gazing deeply into its blaze, oblivious to the rest of us. Nellie, the youngest, at 1, sat with a bare bottom sucking her thumb on her mom’s lap.

Pictures help remind us of memories, but they don’t capture the way our younger selves moved, talked, related, and reacted. Now, 21 years later, it was amazing to see how we still have the same facial expressions and mannerisms (although we’ve decreased the likelihood of picking certain body parts in public).

We are still the children we were—sometimes expectant, sometimes reluctant, we bicker, we get excited, we try, we fail, we cry, we try again. We grow up to be bigger versions of ourselves. I still want the same things—to belong, to feel safe, and to be known and loved.

Uncle Monte asked “Who’s this?” when he pointed the camera at us. I said seriously behind my blonde scraggled hair falling in front of my face: “I’m Carrie Jo, and this is Bell.” She said with a big toothy grin, “Daddy, you know who I am!”

Yes, he knows, but he wants to hear it from us.

Back then I would tell my name, where I lived, what I liked do. But I did not know then who I would be today, and I still don’t know who I will be tomorrow or what will happen in another 10 or 20 years.

Though unknowing is a vulnerable position, I don’t think I’d move into knowing if I could. As we glance back at the past, may we remember that our Creator knows who we are, and we can trust Him to help us write a good story that’s so much fun to look back and see—whether it’s at age 89 or 29.

8 Random Things

I didn’t know there would be so much tagging involved with blogging. It’s fun though.
I’ve always liked tag. Thanks Tiffany.

The rules of this game:
Each person starts with 8 random facts/habits about themselves. People who are tagged need to write their eight things and post the rules. At the end of your blog, tag eight people and list their names. Don't forget to leave them a comment telling them they're tagged, and to read your blog.

So, here are 8 random things about me. (It’s funny that my blog’s name is It’s NOT About Me. Just keep in mind it’s God who’s weaving together the seemingly random details of my life.)

1. Montana is my birthplace and was home until I went to college in Spokane, WA. Even though I feel very at home in Colorado, I will always call MT “home.” Boating on the Missouri River is a favorite activity when visiting my parents.

2. When I was younger I wanted to be an architect and interior designer, or an equestrian. I traveled to England after I graduated from high school to shadow a professional, which opened my eyes to the positives of a career in journalism. Now instead of horses, I ride bikes and sit on inanimate sheep statues.

3. My dream job since college has been to work for Brio magazine for teen girls. I thought freelancing for them would be a good in. Then I thought Focus on the Family Institute would be a good in. Neither of these have landed me a job, but I’m thankful for these experiences. God has me where I am for a reason (I just don’t quite know what it is!)

4. My first car was a Buick Century, which I bought with money I made from selling my cow. Seriously! When it broke down (the car, not the cow) I got a Buick Skylark. It had this weird quirk where it would stall at a stop light and lurch through intersections. The paint started chipping, so we peeled it all off thinking we’d paint it some day. My dad fixed the engine and still drives the unpainted car. (It actually doesn’t look too bad). I got fed up with it and acquired my first car payment in 2003 for a 1999 Subaru Outback. I loved that car for its functionality and versatility. I payed it off and it kept me safe in a bad accident, but was totaled in Dec. 2006. Now I have Jade.

5. I like to test the limits, push the boundaries, try new things, and be adventurous. A goal in this arena is to go skydiving this year.

6. I love photography and camping and would like to do both more often. Photo credits: KLerch

7. I’ve hiked three fourtneeners in the four years I’ve lived here: Uncomagre, Elbert, and Pikes Peak (which I’ve hiked three times—each of which was miserable, yet memorable).

8. Sprint triathlons are super-fun and I’m training for some this summer. Photo credit: Jennifer Janis

The joy of seeing your favorite author

"Reading Lamott is like having a chat with one of the angels, a smarter, wittier one." The Denver Post

Anne Lamott is probably my favorite living author.
And I get to see her speak at my alma mater (Lord willing)!

She will read from her works on Saturday, May 12, at 7:30 p.m. in Cowles Auditorium at Whitworth in Spokane, WA.

My favorite of hers is Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life, a guide to writing and the challenges of a writer's life; next favorite is Traveling Mercies, a collection of autobiographical essays on faith. Lamott's new essay collection, Grace (Eventually): Thoughts on Faith, was released in March 2007, and I have yet to read it.

I don't agree with every viewpoint she has, but it's true that Lamott writes and speaks with self-effacing humor and ruthless honesty. Her books are often about loss – loss of loved ones and loss of personal control. She doesn’t try to sugar-coat sadness, frustration and disappointment, but tells her stories with honesty and compassion.

Photo courtesy: Salon.com

This is me in the morning

So, I guess this whole idea started with Lisa Samson at Author Intrustion.

She says: "Are you brave enough to post your face without makeup? Will you take the morning face challenge? The internet is a place of smoke and mirrors. We can put forward anything we want, any face, any history, any tales of gore and glory.
Women as they reach middle age mourn what once was and what will never be again. Some of us will never be rolled into an operating room or have a hypodermic needle stuck into our face, shooting in a form of bochilism that will paralyze our muscles to a more youthful glow. Botox anyone?
A while ago, the ragamuffin diva and I were chatting on the phone. She said, "I pray for the grace to age gracefully, and let the young women have their day." What a beautiful outlook. A long time ago, another great blogger, Katy at fallible.com told me, "I just want to look pleasant."
Will you take the challenge? Will you post who you really are? Without embellishment, as the morning sun, or the alarm, or a husband or a child sees you when you first open your eyes to meet the day? And if not, ask yourself why not? If you will, will you spread the word on your own blog so that other women will have the confidence to let the young women receive their glory as we grow in wisdom. Let me know if you choose to take the morning face challenge. Here goes. This is me. Almost 43. Barefaced with crazy hair. Who else will join me?"

This is me in the morning. Like my $1 star pjs?

Morning Face Challenge

Rachelle at Seeking First His Kingdom has tagged me for the Morning Face Challenge.

Thank you Rachelle for encouraging me to get back into the blogosphere. It's been difficult because I feel like I don't have any spiritual or emotional makeup on. Not much pretty to say or offer.

It's funny because my friend Katie and I were just talking about how we each thought the other looked great right when she woke up. So I tag Katie. This may not be too difficult for her because she doesn't make a habit of covering her beautiful face with makeup.

It's been one of her New Year's resolutions to try wearing it more and mine to be OK with wearing it less.

I've already had my coffee and applied eye shadow and mascara today--so I'll take the Morning Face Challenge tomorrow. And I plan to go makeup-less throughout the day. However, I probably should brush my hair.

Goodbye Chewy

God has been engraining Psalm 90:12 into me this year:

"Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom."

Last week a dear coworker/friend let us know he is dying.

Then, Friday, my baby, my dog, Chewy passed into what I hope is dog heaven.

If anyone deserves to be there, I think it's her. She lasted 14 years despite having her hips broken twice-- amazing for a lab/German Shepard.

She was my first puppy and she kept me going with her smiley face and wagging tail.

In my teen years she licked away tears from my face when things were stressful at school and with friends who didn't love me nearly as unconditionally as she did.

When I went off to college and then came home for visits, she never forgot me and didn't hold it against me for leaving. Every time I came home she would rush to greet me. Even as she got older she did her best to go running with me--even if it meant she couldn't walk the next day.

I wish I had the puppy pictures to show you, but these are the last couple times I got to spend with her:

Not that she could ever be replaced, but I'm looking forward to getting a dog here in Colorado.

Here are some quotes I like about dogs:

The great pleasure of a dog is that you may make a fool of yourself with him and not only
will he not scold you, but he will make a fool of himself too. –Samuel Butler

We never really own a dog as much as he owns us. –Gene Hill

Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened. –Anatole France

Acquiring a dog may be the only opportunity a human ever has to choose a relative. –Mordecai Siegal

No one appreciates the very special genius of your conversation as the dog does. –Christopher Morley

I think dogs are the most amazing creatures; they give unconditional love. For me they are the role model for being alive. –Gilda Radner