Blogging about the Blog

You know you have become a little obsessed with writing reflection time when perfecting the layout of your blog becomes a nightly activity. I get on the blog, I intend to write, and then suddenly I am lost in inside-blog world trying to figure out how to get my "gadgets" on the right hand side of the page (still can't get them there--any suggestions? They used to be there and then suddenly decided to attach themselves at the end instead. Hmm.) Before I know it, I have spent an hour playing around with the options instead of actually writing...and usually, I still haven't "perfected" or even fixed what I intended to revise in the first place. Ah, good intentions :-).

That said, I do have hopes for this blog. I have to confess it is a little scary to publish my reflections in cyberspace where potentially anyone could read them, but I have been encouraged by the many blogs I read on a weekly basis that lead me to think about dear friends and important issues in the world today. Now if only I could get that darn "favorite blogs" gadget on the right hand side of the page :-).

Here are my hopes for this blog:
1.) That will help connect Clay and me with our family and friends around the country whom we love and want to stay connected with always...
2.) That it will serve as a scrapbook of sorts of our life together, full of pictures and memories and our own voices.
3.) That it will enable me to slow down and express in words what I am learning every day. I am tired of letting inspirations, helpful insights, and special stories escape me before I can even register and appreciate them.

Speaking of our own stories, Clay and I read "Dwarves in the Stable" by Frederick Buechner for our Sunday School class this past weekend, and I couldn't help but connect with something Buechner states in his memoir:

"Maybe nothing is more important than that we keep track, you and I, of these stories of who we are and where we have come from and the people we have met along the way because it is precisely through these stories in all their particularity, as I have long believed and often said, that God makes himself known to each of us most powerfully and personally. If this is true, it means that to lose track of our stories is to be profoundly impoverished not only humanly but also spiritually."

I'll be sure to keep this in mind as I continue to explore the endless possibilities that blogger.com offers its bloggers in terms of layout and design. Often it's not how something looks but what it means that is fundamentally important.

Raindrops on Roses and Whiskers on Camden...

...Man, am I spoiled! I am so grateful for all of the birthday wishes and thoughtful gifts that I received this weekend as I turned 28 on the 28th (golden birthday-yeah!). THANK YOU to all of you for remembering my birthday and making me feel so loved. I was surrounded by many of my "favorite things": books on Shakespeare and writing (thank you, Pat and Kay!!), The Office and a book on running (thanks, lil sis!!), People magazine (my secret, totally unintellectual indulgence--thanks Mom, Dad, and Gege!), perfume, jewelry, and FLOWERS!!! Mary and Jamie sent flowers to GPS on Thursday--boy, was I the envy of many girls that day! They are beautiful, M&J--and as always, you all are so thoughtful and generous.

But what was most apparent to me yesterday was how my favorite "things" are ultimately people. I was lucky enough to spend my birthday with Clay and Camden, going for a hike on Signal Mountain and then cooking dinner together. Sometimes its the simple, "little" things that remind me just how full my life is. I was also very aware of how much I missed celebrating with my family (years 1-18) and my friends from college and Saint James (years 19-26). There is nothing like actually BEING with the people you love, you know?

More later (gotta run to practice), but know that I am GRATEFUL GRATEFUL GRATEFUL for YOU!

Do What You Can Where You Are With What You Have

Leonard Pitts, of the Miami Herald, came to speak earlier this week, which turned out to be one of several meaningful reminders of how I should live my life. He repeatedly urged the girls to "plant a tree," invoking the ancient proverb that says something like "The best communities are filled with people who plant trees knowing that they will never be able to enjoy the shade." Investing in the future--huh. We sure have been hearing a lot about investing these days. I feel like every time I drive to work and hear the news at the top of the hour on NPR, I am hearing more about the Wall St. bailout and Henry Paulson and foreclosures and collapsing companies. Investments gone wrong seems to be the talk of the town these days. And while I am trying hard to read and listen to everything I can get my hands on in relation to the economic "crisis" going on in my sister's backyard (and in fact in homes around the country), I have also been thinking a lot about other forms of investing.

Perhaps it is because we have a new puppy that I have been so aware lately of the need to invest time in other people. I'm a teacher--I'm never going to have gobs of money to invest in stocks and bonds...but I do have the ability to invest in young women and my colleagues. And I don't feel I am doing that to the best of my ability. I find myself sacrificing conversations with colleagues so I can get 5 more papers graded during lunch, sacrificing supporting three of my advisees in the High School Musical production THEY have invested so much time in because I can't find a totally free night to attend. I feel guilty all day long that Clay is taking the brunt of the responsibility for caring for Camden because I am not on campus--and as much as I want to play with him at night, I then feel guilty because I know I have so much work yet to do. It's an endless cycle. And I end up shortchanging everyone. Including me.

This hit me this afternoon when I went to the Driver's License Center to take a Commerical Driver's Test so I can drive buses for the CC team. I passed the school bus test, but then a surprise "general knowledge" test popped up and suddenly I felt completely clueless. Shifting tractor-trailer gears going up a mountain in snow? What? I muddled my way through the test only to get my results. Yup: failed. I could miss ten and still pass; I missed eleven. I got in my car, totally frustrated that I would have the make the trek back there next week to try again (time I don't have, right?). And then I forced myself to get a grip, look at the calendar, and find a time I would take this test again and pass it. Fifteen minutes later, I was home and enjoying a renewed perspective on things. Car rides are amazingly therapeutic.

And then I walked into our apartment and saw two things: a book on simple living that Clay agreed to read for a book club and sweet Camden. And it hit me--I have a choice about how I live this life and if I am not careful, I am going to let it drive me crazy and leave me empty. I want to invest more in other people; I also need to invest a little more in taking care of myself, physically, emotionally, and intellectually.

I am not sure what this is going to look like or how this will play out, but I am determined to have my life reflect more of my priorities. Simple living, quality time with the people I care most about, thoughtful reflection and interaction with others, doing the best I can with what I have where I am--and understanding that might mean not doing some other things at all. We constantly tell our students that they can't do everything and expect to do it all well--they will be miserable and unsuccessful. They must make choices. It's time I start practicing what I preach.

Happy Birthday Mama!

We made you a cake! Yup, it's a yummy sour cream coffee cake that we made in honor of YOU, sweet Mom...but darn these five hours that separate us and prevent you from enjoying it! We promise to make you another birthday cake in a couple of weeks when you and Dad (and Max and Maggie!) come down to see our new place. And I just found out about a fun pumpkin patch and apple orchard on Signal Mountain that we can check out when you're here! I can't wait to see you and celebrate you in person!!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!! YOU ARE SPECIAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


We, especially Camden, are also super grateful to you for the AWESOME care package that you sent our new little buddy. Of course Mom would send someone else a gift on the week of HER birthday...Mom has always been so thoughtful and generous. Check out his immediate excitement over his new, fun gifts! He loves them (and YOU!!)







We have had a great weekend here in Chattaboogie. Friday night was full of high school football as McC's 9th grade and Varsity teams beat Father Ryan at home. Everyone was out for the first Friday night game, so we had a lot of fun catching up with friends and students. It was also parent's weekend here for both of us, so we got a chance to meet a lot of our students' parents, which albeit sometimes tiring, always provides yet another lens through which to understand a child. Anything we can do to better know where a student is coming from and what we can do to help him/her, the better.

Saturday we were up early, Clay to meet with 20 parents (crazy!) for parent-teacher conferences and Sara to Greenway Farms for a CC meet. Once again, I was really proud of our girls--they showed a lot of heart AND muscle as all but one managed to set a season PR at the meet. Unfortunately, the competition was the best we have seen by far, so we didn't win any awards, but the girls were pleased with their runs and feel focused on what they need to do over the course of the next six weeks to get ready for State on Nov. 1 in Nashville.

As soon as I got home, I met Ashley (my favorite running buddy) for a 70 minute run on East Ridge. I was tired and had already run a little with the girls that morning, so I had to gear myself up for this run, but as soon as we started, I remembered why I love running--and why I love running with Ashley. Believe it or not, our run along the beautiful ridge overlooking Chattanooga enabled me to relax and talk about things with a dear, dear friend. 70 minutes went by in a heartbeat as we both talked about how triathlon training (her) and cross country running (me) have reinvigorated our fitness lives and given us a renewed sense of focus and purpose during our workouts. We are both setting our sights on the Chickamaunga Half Marathon on Nov. 8--and beat the 2 hour time we set when we ran the Chattanooga Half during our marathon training. Since I am training with the team, I may not be ready for the race distance-wise, but I am hoping that all of the speed workouts will serve me well if I decide to be there on the starting line with Ashley that day.

Clay and I both crashed for an afternoon nap after that--glorious. We then headed to Erin's house for a fun cookout with Ashley and her husband, Nick. We played bocce, ate yummy salads and burgers, and watching as Camden played with two dogs MUCH bigger than him--and held his own!

This morning brought our second Sunday School Class--we discussed Flannery O'Connor's "Revelation" with 11 young adults. We had some new faces in the class this morning, so we hope the group only continues to grow, both in terms of numbers and relationship with each other. Clay and I are trying hard to lead the group in a thoughtful, productive fashion, but it's harder than we thought--people coming to church, especially young adults, are coming from all backgrounds and with different expectations and needs. We don't fool ourselves into thinking we can meet those needs, but we do want this class to be a space they feel is worthwhile and thought-provoking. We continue to think about how to approach it--we just hope they keep coming!

This week proves to be another busy one--Clay has a game tomorrow, I have a meet on Tuesday, Clay's on duty Wednesday, Advisee time at our house on Thursday, and then I'm off to Nashville on Friday afternoon-Saturday for a big CC meet. It will certainly keep us busy--but we've had a great weekend to relax with each other, so we're feeling good.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!! WE LOVE YOU!!!!

Time

So its exactly midnight here in Chattavegas, and Clay is on duty in the dorm. Darling Camden is asleep right next to me; I can hear his steady breathing. I am tired, but I have had one of those days in which some things become so clear to me, one of those days when life is put in perspective. Lately, I feel like I haven't had time to breathe, that I have literally been running from one class to the next to practice to Camden to work to emails...and in the process, I have been so self-absorbed. I have become almost obsessive about crossing off things on my to-do list and playing games with myself to see how much I can get done in one day...so I am grateful for moments when I am struck to stop and look around me. Here are some of the things I saw just today:

1. An email from my mom. So faithful. So loving.

2. 3 students, whom I grew very close with last year, leaving me a little note on my desk with a cinnamon crunch bagel while I was at English Dept. meeting. I don't even teach them anymore. It's not about me--it's about how thoughtful and caring they are. Seeing them makes me smile every day.

3. Cy, Gilly, Nathan, and Chloe (4 little children in our dorm) playing with Camden and squealing with delight. Camden LOVED them, too. Beautiful, young creatures, playing and laughing. So refreshing.

4. A freshman runner on the CC team crying for her teammate who just found out that she has a stress fracture and will be out for the rest of the season. I love our team.

5. Visiting a friend's blog page only to be reminded that it is her daughter's 1st birthday today. My, how time flies.

I was also reminded of the hardships that many people face, often quietly and gracefully, that I need to be more mindful of and generous towards...in short, in the midst of my running running running, I am thankful for the beautiful moments that force themselves upon me as if to say "hey! this is important, too! don't miss it." And while it may sound cheesy, having Camden is a daily reminder that these moments exist and should be cherished instead of overlooked. Our nightly walks provide me with the perfect time to think, to reflect, and to be aware of what is going on around me, both near and far. And as much as I love running, I am glad there are moments in life that cause us to stop still and smile.

John's Visit!

We love John Gahan! If you know John, you understand our excitement: he is simply a great, great guy. He is funny, friendly, flexible, and fun. We love him...which is why we are so darn pumped that he is here this weekend. It is also the reason why we are so sad about the fact that we may not see him for two more years. He is heading to Azerbijan in less than 2 weeks to serve in the Peace Corps; we know he is going to do a FANTASTIC, admirable job, and we couldn't be more thrilled for him, but we have to confess we are sad when we think about not seeing him for that long. We will miss miss miss him.

We did have a great day with him today, though...last night we ate dinner with John and his best bud (from Louisville!) Alex Harcourt, at La Altena, a hole-in-the-wall Mexican restaurant we recently discovered and love. Fajitas=yummy. Today we were up and moving fairly early--I had to get a 65 min. run in and Clay had to meet his team to warm up for their 10 a.m. game against CCD. Talk about a nail-biter, people--this one went down to the wire. Somehow (don't ask me how), McC recovered a CCD fumble in the endzone to earn a touchdown with only 2 min. left to go. As Clay said, "We got reallllly lucky today." Same thing happened with the varsity game--we were down until the middle of the 4th quarter when McC recovered a fumble and put some crucial points up on the board. Pretty exciting stuff.

We then went over to Carol and Tony's house for some yummy snacks and time with McC folks before running back and jumping in the McC Lake. We took Camden and he wasn't quite sure what to make of the water, but he sure was adorable. In fact, he was fun and cute all day--and tons of people stopped at the two games to pet and love on him, telling us that "beagles are the best." We sure do agree :-).

Tonight we found ourselves at one of the nicest restaurants in Chattanooga--Hennen's--with Kat and Nate, two friends we have made through our young adults group at St. Paul's. Nate is a chef at Hennen's, so we were excited to dine with a chef at his own restaurant, but we had no idea what treat we were in store for when we sat down and the waiter immediately removed the menus from the table. Over the next three hours, we were treated like royalty: five courses, all of which were not on the menu; repeated visits from the head chef at Hennen's; and glasses of good wine. It was incredible. The plates just kept on coming--and we kept getting more and more full. Glorious evening!

More cute pics of Camden:

We like going big...AND going home

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This week has been crazy. Can it really already be Friday? Geez, where has the time gone? Well...let's see :-)

On Monday night, Clay and his awesome JV and 9th grade football teams went down to Rhea County to win big; as defensive coordinator, Clay is pretty pumped that they have yet to be scored on this season. Keep your fingers crossed that their streak continues! They play again tomorrow.

The CC Team travelled to Cleveland, TN last night for a meet that included 23 teams and 160 girls. I was proud of the team for getting second (always to Baylor--always! They are machines!), but I have to admit it was pretty cool to see most of them disappointed in their times and eager to do better. The top girl finished in under 20 minutes. Wow. I think I can drive that fast--does that count? These girls can crank it--and I love watching them do it. Pretty inspiring. Next meet is a week from Saturday at Greenway Farms, the terrain where we do our speed workouts. Perhaps what I like the best is the prep for a meet--I get to try our different energy bar recipes that are both healthy and yummy!

Camden continues to be a joy--he is just too cute. The 3 a.m. potty patrol is not so joyful, but hey, even then his face just makes us melt. He played around with Nick and Ashley's full-grown chocolate lab the other night and they were SO funny. At first, Camden was scared out of his mind, but after awhile, he warmed up to Tucker and even started biting his tail and then running under my legs for cover. Hilarious. We had fun just watching them play for close to an hour.

The big news is that John Gahan is coming to visit this weekend--Hooray! Back from his summer in Brazil and getting ready to head to Azerbaijan for two years with the Peace Corps, he was nice enough to carve out some time to spend with us--what a rockstar. We are excited for him to see our new place, meet Camden, cheer on the football teams, and perhaps join us for our first young adult Sunday School class on Sunday (Clay's teaching--I have never seen him teach! I am excited!). We can't wait to see him...and we confess, we can't wait to have a couple days off from teaching and coaching. We love love love our life, but when we "go big" all week long, we get pretty pumped to "go home" on the weekends.

Sending you all lots of love!

We're Back and Better than Ever!

Why, you may ask? Because of this cute guy! Meet Camden!! He is our newest addition--and we couldn't be more thrilled!! We have been wanting to get a dog for awhile, and now that we are settled into the dorm and I am back from jolly ole' England, we thought it couldn't be a better time...and then we met this little guy. And you could say we fell in love and have been falling ever since. He is loads of fun, loves to run around on the football field, and loves to crawl into our laps when we are grading papers. We brought him home on Saturday and have been playing with him constantly -- and every once in awhile, we catch ourselves staring at him or laughing at him and we think to ourselves, "We are so lucky to have him." It's amazing how a dog can remind you that you have so much love to give. He also reminds us that sometimes love is as simple as spending time with people and being excited when they get home. We love him already.

When we aren't distracted by adorable Camden and being convinced to go on yet another walk, we are loving our students. We are into our 4th week of classes (craziness--it always flies) and so we are beginning to get to know our students' personalities and establish some type of rhythm and focus to our classes. We continue to love teaching not only because of them, but also because it constantly challenges us to keep thinking, keep reading, keep learning so that we can serve our students the best we can. The beauty and the curse of teaching is that you can always do better. We are reminded of that every day.

We are also coaching, which keeps us both energized and exhausted. Clay is in his second year with the 9th and JV football teams, and I am beginning my first season with the varsity cross country team. We both cherish our time with our teams. As a person who loves to run for fitness but who is also not very fast :-), I am amazed at how coaching as improved me as a runner and as a person. In many ways, it comes down to discipline. I am forced to be much more disciplined with my time now that I have practice every afternoon and then Camden to come home to every night--but I am also more disciplined about sleep and diet. I have never really thought of myself as a "runner," but this season might be changing that for me...if you are to do well at running, you must think of yourself as capable of doing well, of running fast and far. You must also be hydrated, well-nourished, and rested. So its lots of energy bars and early-to-beds for Sara Jenney these days--and I couldn't be happier. Love the girls, love the sport, love the challenge.

Ok, there is lots more to tell, but sweet Camden calls :-). We'll try to update this blog twice a week or so--and more pictures will definitely be coming. Hope all of our dear family and friends are doing well--we love you all! Thanks for reading our blog!