OK Tornadoes

My heart is aching for the people who lost everything in the tornadoes this week.

My friend, Beth Pickard, (who lives in OK) posted this:
"I know I'm a disaster worker has-been but I hope you will consider this. Though it's hard, and though it isn't very appealing, financial giving is the best way to help in a disaster. Collecting and sending toiletries, clothing, food, furniture, etc, can be such a hardship in recovery. It takes a tremendous amount of space & manpower to sort clean and distribute these items. I have seen piles and piles of these items abandon on road sides because some well meaning people gave generously from their hearts, and yet there was no way to deal with the massive influx of goods during the recovery. (This is a first for me, but I would be thankful if you would share this post.)"

Salvation Army's video says the same thing:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Na3j8T_tFCw

My severe lack of experience in things like being a victim to acts of terrorism and also weather/natural disasters doesn't leave me much in knowing how to help...but...
Money, prayers, listening ears, time, energy & a shoulder to cry on...Lord help me love others better!
~bethany

Rev3 5K Glow Run, Rev3 Knoxville, Mother's Day

May 3rd was the Rev3 Glow Run. All the $$ went to the Gross/Brannock families, injured in the Boston explosions. Yay! Team Pilot had a bunch of participants, and the Lady Vols & Vols past and present were also there! It was so much fun to briefly see and catch up with some old friends and join together to support Nicole, Michael, & Erika! They have a Be Strong Stay Strong account set up if you want to still donate to them.

That weekend was the Rev3 Knoxville triathlon. It was disappointing to not race, but it was in my best interest, and confirmed by a doc, PT, coach, and family! ...I listened :)

Pilot Flying J had a tent set up Fri/Sat/Sun, and I happily hung out there for a chunk of the weekend! What fun, great people to be with! In addition to PFJers in the tent, also great people - the Truckers to Triathletes team & Pete Thomas - were there too.  Although it was quite a soggy time, it didn't dampen our spirits under the tent! It reminded me that it doesn't matter where you go or what you do, it's all about who you're with! Definitely.

We were excited to host my pro triathlete friend from Tulsa, Jessica. It was great to have her stay with us! She got 6th place in the race - woot! It was nasty weather - hard rain, cool temps; a job well done!
Just cheering in it wiped me out ;)
Magali's mom was so generous to give me a poncho to put over my raincoat - boy was that a lifesaver! It was fun to chat with her and cheer on Magali.

Sunday, Provision's tent was ready to attract a lot of people, but it was so nasty outside that even standing under the tent was slightly miserable. We had fun for a bit, but the weather made the event short-lived. Next time, it'll be a great set-up!

Mother's Day was yesterday - yay! So much fun to celebrate the mothers in our lives! Wow, I am so thankful for amazing acts of love that I have been shown from my mom, Grama, Stephen's mom, Emily, and so many other family & friends! Thaaank you for your amazing examples to learn from. XOs

Happy Mid-May to yas!
bethany

East TN springs of color & Truth

I'm now realizing that East TN is overwhelmingly gorgeous with its many flowers, green things, & singing things that bud, grow, live (& thrive!) around here. Perhaps it was living in Hohhot, China (near the Gobi Desert) for 3 years & then Oklahoma for 4 years that finally opened my eyes & ears to the winter-to-spring transformation of colors, chirps, and songs. 

Similarly, maybe basement-life (we like to call it cave-dwelling, haha) for a year+ will snap us into realizing what a huge gift it is to have a house! (As in, "Wow! We have a HOUSE!" as well as "Wow! We have ONE house!") Besides, in terms of caves, it's pretty much the most luxurious cave, EVER...better than 99% of the rest of the world's accommodations.

More than anything right now, it's the surplus of indefinite circumstances that really drains on us.  I'm pretty sure that if you originally told us it would be a year in the basement, we'd be feeling less drained than we are now. Ahh, the parallel to trusting the Lord and also having faith in Him alone! The latest indefinite circumstance that seems to drag on is that our electrician is over a week late - he always has an amazing excuse for not being able to come. Hmm. This sort of thing is starting to feel like the norm and not surprising. I guess in an exaggerated way, it makes us realize that the only one who is 100% reliable, trustworthy, dependable...is Jesus.

There's joy in the journey - especially when there are significant perspective shifts & reality checks, which healthily chip down things until you get closer to the things that really matter.
It was good to be reminded by our Bible Study leaders, Steve & Mary Bailey, that although the Lord doesn't give us more temptations than we can handle, He allows more challenges than we can handle so that we are forced to depend on Him! What a delicious Truth nugget :) And since that's where we are, we can cling to the Lord and be refined in the fire! All good things.

Cheers!
bethany

Making Sense of the Sensory Overload

Shew, this week has been nothing short of a sensory overload.

Starting out with Monday morning - it's my birthday! ...finished with taxes, fun lunch date with my main squeeze, heard from some sweet fam&friends, family coming for dinner...thankful for so much lovins!

Then news of the Boston marathon hit - what in the world? A Lady Vol friend, teammate, and overall generous, positive, helpful person and her family were devastatingly affected by the Boston explosions. And then the TX explosion occurred later...uuuugh.

The past 6 weeks, my neck has been healing from a set-back that I thought was a silly, no big dealio thing at first and then it gave me some deja vu feelings of 3 yrs ago. Triple yuck.

Thursday I had to tell Rev3 Knoxville staff I couldn't race on May 5th. This Knoxville race was THE race I was most looking forward to all year for so many reasons! Ah, the week is spiraling downwards....and then I'm reminded that the background of my life the past year is still chugging along in below-par circumstances. We're still the couple that's paying for 2 mortgages while living in my parents' basement. Next month will make a year of this situation. Yes, if we were omniscient, we would have made more than a few different choices!!

Originally, we sold our Tulsa house for a great price in the 1st week it was on the market, but the buyers' financing fell through a weekish before we closed. The past 11 months have included with that house enough drama for a part-time job. Last Fall, we bought a house in Knoxville with the professional inspector's vote of confidence that it was "a great house!" with no major problems...so we plan to move in on day 2 (day one was ripping up the carpet) and meanwhile our handyman fell.through.the.floor. Currently, our new house has no working bathroom nor kitchen and lacks ceiling and all insulation. So, needless to say...we have 2 houses that are taking the time of 2 part-time jobs, not to mention some brain power, sweat equity, and cash. And along the way, we haven't kept a perfect record of dealing with the building-on-each-other nightmare situations as we would have loved to take pride in...but by the Lord's grace, we're not able to take pride in decisions we make that turn out well - we can only boast in the Lord and His goodness for being with us always, through the good, the bad, and the ugly. We have more than enough and are so thankful for my parents' generosity of letting us live in their basement!!

I'm so thankful that my neck is healing, and I'm getting back into all the sports. I've started working with a local-ish coach who I'm excited about (Jamie Ingalls at HUB Endurance bike shop in Chattanooga). I'm so very encouraged about the big picture of the season, and so thankful that Pilot Flying J, Provision, and Retirement Planning Services are all so supportive of not racing too soon with the potential to re-injure my neck. Better safe than sorry, and then have to re-set back to zero...or worse, ruin my season altogether.

Friday there was an earthquake in China that caused more devastation and killing 156. NO! ...As well as catching the 2nd suspect of the Boston explosions - YES!

Highs and lows. I read this article this morning and thought it was insightful about events and life, although I never want to ask for tragedy, trials, or suffering...

In the midst of the sensory overload, only enhanced by social media, I know that God is trustworthy and faithful...and unchangeable. He is with me always and lives inside me. And when life doesn't make sense, I'm comforted that my human, imperfect brain can't always wrap itself around the "Whys?!" of this short life.

Bethany

The Dream Team

Retirement Planning Services, LLC is made up of a team of people synonymous to The Dream Team, and what an honor to be supported by them!

I don't know how to more accurately describe RPS than to say that the success of their business depends not only on making money for their clients, (or sometimes saving their clients from losing money!), but also depends on the personal trust and relationship that is built over time.

I've worked at the office, and also have attended some client banquets, and I can wholeheartedly say that RPS clients are more than satisfied with the services provided to them!  Every member of RPS's staff is "in their element" in terms of their job position at RPS. It's no surprise why their clients love them and completely trust them! Their conservative, proven approach is refreshing and timely, especially with the economy in the state that it is right now.

RPS has my highest recommendation!
Bethany

Provision, true provision!

Andrew gives me advice on how to run like a cheetah :)

I'm so excited to be sponsored and partner with Provision! True to their name, Provision has definitely been a provision for me. (Dictionary.com says a provision = "a measure or other means for meeting a need".) What a great name for a company that provides services to help people! A couple weeks ago, my giraffe neck tweaked a bit on me - I just slept on it wrong and woke up with an angry neck. It was discouraging yet it happened a couple months ago, and I healed from it, so I knew I just needed to get into a rhythm of maintenance to make sure to do everything I can to stay injury-free! ....Enter Provision...

A couple days later in an interview with Dean and Kevin, it was another "I can't believe how fun this is!" -type interview. I had to just step back and think how amazing the Lord is for orchestrating another incredible company to partner with. It's so easy to be excited about Provision and all they're doing! Similar to Pilot, every time I walk into any Provision facility, everyone is joyful and genuinely happy to see you....So basically, you feel better when you walk in the door!! And walking in the door (getting there) is more than half the battle. They're top-notch at ID-ing problems and setting up a plan of action for maintenance and health. Every time I leave, I felt like I spent an hour with friends, and my neck feels better already! What's there not to love?! :)

At Provision PT, Adam worked with me on range of motion for my neck, and also used the Redcord system! I'd never used that before, but it was really great at isolating exactly the muscles I needed to use/strengthen.

Provision Performance Lab had its grand opening a few weeks ago, offering so many tools to enhance any (and every!) athlete! Athletes who just train for fun and enjoy feeling healthy to professional athletes. I'm so excited to be able to use these services to dial in my training and give me feedback on how to perform at a higher level as it gives me insight into what's going on in my body.

And last but not least, Provision Wellness Center offers yoga, strength, core...and more! What a gift to be able to use all these facilities and professionals to start my journey as a professional triathlete!! The easiest part of my job is to gush about the amazing people I get to work with.

I'm so thankful for this opportunity to train and compete full time (a first!)! Although the season is starting off a bit later than I'd hoped, I'm doing everything I can right now to set up my 2013 season - it reminds me of what Jim Collins terms The Flywheel Effect  in his book Good to Great. I'll keep on pushing that flywheel! It's already budged a lot compared to 3 years ago!! (Thanks Lord!!) Race season is here! But this is Truth:  "So do not worry or be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will have worries and anxieties of its own. Sufficient for each day is its own trouble." Matt 6:34 AMP

Cheers!
bethany

Pilot Girl!

Before this week, I was a huge fan of Pilot Flying J...but now - what a thrilling honor to be sponsored by them, and partner with them in their push towards health and fitness!

Pilot Flying J has raised the bar in terms of caring for its employees and customers in so many ways, including adding fitness facilities to truck stops for the truck drivers and offering healthier options to eat inside!

I'm excited to join up with their Truckers to Triathletes team (although I have no idea how to drive an 18-wheeler!) this year and can't wait to see what lies ahead. When I arrived for the interview, everyone I saw at the corporate office was friendly and went out of their way to say hello with a genuine smile! It really put me at ease right before my first real interview as a professional triathlete.

I am beyond delighted and feel uniquely blessed that they are taking me into their tidal wave of success! I'll be talking about Pilot a lot, but for now will just post a couple pics....GO Team Pilot!! :)

First run :)

Highway to health! :)