Steph's Reality Blend

Today I was surprised by trying. Randy and I (while his folks were at our house with the kids) visited "camp" for a "date" to run(/swim/bike) a "tri." They have been doing these mini-triathlons for the last 5 years or so, which consist of a ~100yd swim, 5 miles of hilly biking, and 5k of hilly running. What surprised me was enjoying it a lot more than I thought I would, even while we went faster and pushed harder than I thought I was up for doing on <6 hours of sleep. I was allowing us 1.5 hours to finish the thing without passing out, and my "best time" from 2 or 3 years ago was 1:04. I finished in under an hour, at 59:59! (Randy was right behind me because he wanted to keep his 4th place finish consistent with the other years he's done it, and I was 3rd.) What is strange to me is that the event as a whole felt easier than it did in the past. I think it was my mindset, mostly. The last two years have been really good growth - spirit...

Father's Day at Randy's folks, with Teddy/Bridget/Andrew's cousins, "Marshmallow," "Hershey" and "graham cracker"  A redneck version of unloading a "faded Tonka truck yellow"  skidloader that doesn't run. Use a tree! And rocks!  Bridget is unsure of the methods applied.  Randy-made windmill fan for a friend's cathedral-ceiling LR. I then painted on faux rust. Randy installed it last week and they love it!  Watching the concrete pour(s) at Chas and Carol's!  Exhausted from watching concrete pour(s) at Chas and Carol's!  Cousins ready to run through a sprinkler. Emma and Bridget 💗  The first "layer" of fill over the culvert pipe for our driveway on the land. Only about 20 bucketloads, taken from another spot on the land! Thanks Cory and Charlie for letting us use the machinery that's right there!  A pedal-powered tractor from Mom's neighbors, putti...

No, not the Green Bay Packers. J.I.Packer, theologian and author from decades ago. It's been a long time since I posted anything, largely because I've been a little "dry" and have not felt I had anything to share. I still don't have anything to share of my own, really! But I picked up Knowing God ( by Packer) recently and while I have actually read the first few chapters previously, I started over, and this was right to do. Knowing God in a personal way has been one of my life struggles. It was never modeled to me in my growing up years (that I can recall) and Satan continues to try to convince me that because God is unseen with my physical eyes, and because I can't physically sit on his lap or hold an audible conversation, that I certainly cannot KNOW Him in a real, personal, would-rather-spend-time-with-Him-than-anyone-else way. Satan is a good liar. So Packer is encouraging. And I've gotten through the preface and first two chapters, but there...