Adventures In Dying

Alrighty. So I downloaded this fancy Blogger app on my iPod. We shall see how it goes!

This weekend I decided to dye this old white dress that I never wear. White isn't my color. So, I picked up a bottle of Rit at Michael's. I went with blue, figuring if anything I could freshen up some jeans with the extra dye. 

After putting  half a bottle of dye and a cup of salt into some scorching water, I was ready to turn that bad boy blue. I popped it in with a pair of Jim's jeans and stirred away for about 20 minutes. Once I pulled everything out and rinsed them in the sink, they got popped in the dryer for a quick cleaning. While I waited, I made an awesome nail polish holder out of an old spice rack!!

When I pulled the dress out of the dryer, it ended up looking great! Since the stitching wasn't all cotton like the dress, it didn't take the dye and stayed white. I thought it was a neat effect!

Jim's jeans also looked fresher. I can't believe I waited this long to try Rit. It is so easy! Now I will actually wear my dress. It was a successful, crafty weekend. I can't wait to see what else in my closet could use a color change! 

CrossFit: A Lesson in Blind Faith.

When I won six CrossFit sessions at our silent auction, I was pumped. I'd heard about it and seen the CrossFit games. I knew it wouldn't be easy. However, there was a slight underestimation of what would be going on. Keep in mind: I'd just started running. Since I'm a little sibling, this small feat in my exercise routine gave me quite a big head. My eight minute jogging had turned me into Samantha, Queen of Fitness. I could essentially climb a mountain.

After my first two Crossfit sessions on Thursday and Friday, I was shaken. It only took two days to turn my faith in myself upside down. What I had been so sure I could handle I was now seeing as an insurmountable challenge. Yesterday was my third session. As I began going through the new torture Crisa had written down on the Dry Erase Board of Doom (DEBD), I actually turned and asked, "What happens if your body gives out before you make it through 5 times?" I'm completely new to this intense of a workout. I actually had no idea if I could physically complete the task at hand. Crisa very simply replied, "You won't. It's not over when you're tired, it's over when you're done."

I believed her! Even though my legs were shaking and I was sweating only slightly less than the time I had food poisoning, I believed her. She knew what she was doing. Even though I didn't believe in myself, I believed in her faith in me. She was never negative; she was honest. Her confidence in me was reassuring.

Faith is something that can be difficult to wrap ourselves around. Faith in anything. Faith in our family, faith in religion, faith in friends, and faith in ourselves. Blind faith is even harder. It makes us feel a little helpless to do something completely new when it hurts or tires us. It's hard to trust when you're feeling weak, physically or mentally. When we fail, our faith can fail. It can be shaken.

So what's the difference? If all faith can be shaken, why is it so much more difficult to give into blind faith? Blind faith means that you don't fully understand what is happening. I didn't fully understand working out, and I still don't. My whole body was screaming at me. Trusting that Crisa knows what I can and can't get through isn't easy...but it's what I have to do. As humans we are so against this principle. We want proof. We crave that immediate, tangible evidence as to why we should believe in something. Sometimes we don't get that proof right away. There are days we must get a little battered and bruised before we realize the blessings that can come from our journey.

The phrase "seeing is believing" can be true, and most often it is. It takes patience to wait for results. We can spend our waiting periods doubting and fighting, or we could do something more courageous. We can trust. We can allow ourselves that blind faith, no matter how infinitesimal. It's easy to cliff dive when you've watched four other people do it, you've tested the depth of the water, and scanned the area for dangerous rocks. But to be the first one to jump? Everyone's done it before, but not today. You didn't get to see it happen. You have to look at them and trust, blindly, that you'll make it. That is what takes the real guts.

I didn't go into CrossFit thinking I would have some crazy revelation about the importance of blind faith, but here it is. I still have no idea what I'm doing there (or why I'm enjoying) every session. I guess I'll just have to put a little more blind faith into my trainer. Oh, and buy a CrossFit tank top so I can show off how great my arms are going to look.

Small Town Living from a Suburban/City Girl.

I was raised in what some called the "suburbs of Cincinnati." I lived about 15 minutes on the Kentucky side of the river in Edgewood, population 9,400. After going to college and falling in love with my husband, I moved with him to Louisville. Louisville's population, within the whole metro area, is over a million people. Then we moved to Hallock, population 981. People keep asking, "how are you adjusting?" Well, here's the answer to that. These are some of the biggest adjustments I've had to come to terms with.

Everyone is extremely friendly. I think I've met two people in my four months of residence here that weren't in a fantastic mood. I attributed the crankiness to the weather.

Everyone knows everyone. This one has both pros and cons. The positive side of things is that you (almost) never have to explain who someone is. You can almost always get a hold of someone. However, this also means that everyone already has their opinion formed about the people around them. That, and you almost always run into someone at the grocery store. There's never a quick trip to the store.

There's no fast food. Nope, not in Hallock. We have the Caribou Grill, and the bowling alley just opened up it's diner-style service. I understand this is a healthier way of living, but sometimes I would really just LOVE to have some Taco Bell.

My gas tank is perpetually full. No complaints about this one. If I don't drive to Grand Forks, my tank needs refilling once every couple months. MONTHS people. Now that the weather is getting warmer, I should be able to walk to work. No more spending half of my income at the gas station...what a comforting notion.

Schools and churches work together. I was pleasantly surprised by this one. When Louise told me to put an announcement about a mission trip meeting into the school announcements, I was sort of floored. Not only that, but the school always forgives students for missing activities on Wednesday nights. They even avoid putting events on Wednesday if they can avoid it.

I rarely get carded. The few establishments that sell alcohol know that I'm 21, and so there's no need for them to card me as consistently as when I'm in the city. It's really nice not to have people raise their eyebrows when I would like to order a drink.

People leave their cars running...everywhere. Going to the store? Not a problem, just leave the car running in the parking lot. Running into the bank? Just park on the curb and keep the keys in the ignition. This one I've had some difficulty allowing myself to do. I'm still in the "someone will steal your car" mentality.

It feels amazing to be outside. Even when it's freezing cold, the air up here is insanely clean. I hate wind, that's no secret, but it keeps the gunk away. Unless you have a south wind, the air is so fresh. The sun is warmer. Now that there's no more snow, I fully intend to enjoy being outside.

While sometimes living in this small town can be frustrating, it is mostly amazing. It's quiet, slow-paced, and friendly. I know that at the end of the day, I can leave my doors unlocked and not have to worry. I love the carefree feeling that comes with the small community. It may be an adjustment, but it's a welcomed adjustment.