just do it
I did it. I got up and ran this morning again. I even shaved 2 whole minutes off of my time two days ago! That was encouraging. It still hurt though, and I suspect it probably will for awhile! For those reading who live near me, please call Chris if you find me passed out on the sidewalk.

I can't take much credit for getting back on the exercise bandwagon. Chris was the one who started it -- he is going to join an indoor soccer team in a few weeks and wants to be in shape for it, so he started getting up early in the morning to go running on Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays and said he'd let me sleep in on Tuesdays and Thursdays since I'd be getting up with the kids. Well, I was feeling really guilty about sleeping in on my days instead of getting up and doing something! Plus, he was starting to lose weight and I can't have my husband weighing less than me (I still have a cushion before he gets there, but as Caroline is weaning, the pounds are going to start packing on, particularly around the holidays)...

I'd like to say that I have only the best goals of personal fitness and trying to take care of myself, but it's really just to lose weight and keep that cushion between me & Chris. In addition, we're going skiing in February in Colorado and I want to be in shape for that! Although, as I'm getting more into it, I am happy to be getting into shape and modeling that for our children.

big decisions
We have some big decisions to make in the next few years and I'm really unsure as to where God is leading us right now. In no particular order because they are all somewhat intertwined, we have to decide on the following:

• Kids: Whether or not to conceive another; adopting - which country, when, what age, need money for it; am I going to stay at home with all of them until they reach school age?
  
• Graduate School: Chris will be graduating next year (hallelujah!!!), which will free us up for me to go to school -- but do I want to do that now or are we going to have more kids right now?
• Elementary School: Thinking about this makes me break out in hives
  
• Moving: Are we going to stay in the city? Will we be able to afford staying here with our sales tax and property taxes skyrocketing without a second income? If we move, would we move to Michigan with its crappy economy, thereby leaving Chris' stable job and exchanging it for an unknown quantity? If we moved to Michigan, where would we go to church? But, it's so tempting to move home...
  

See? Lots to think about and pray through. I think that God knows where we can best use our gifts and talents -- while He might say "okay" to something else that we pursue, it's not going to be the place where we can be best used or find the most joy. I know that Chris & I both want to be in the place (literally & figuratively) where we can be fully utilized.