New Boots!

So far, I've worn these all day and they're still comfy. While the old boots feel like slippers I have reservations about them lasting 500 miles plus training. These are meant to last. A few people at REI yesterday called them SERIOUS hiking boots. Well, I'm serious about what I'm doing and seriously want to keep my feet and joints healthy along the way. I'm so thankful for after Christmas clearance sales. I'd never have been able to afford these without them. Hope to take them on a hike Saturday.

New Year, New Start

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas!  It's the new year and it's time to get back to training after taking a break for the holidays.  Not looking forward to walking in the cold, but I'm going to have to make the effort.  At least I can use this to help me stay warm...

Ed and Cassie gave me this backpack for Christmas!  Thank you!!!!!  What a cool way to support my adventure.  I'm so excited to fill it up and test it out on the trail. The hard part now will be to limit what I put into it to 14 pounds.  I'm forever a Girl Scout and always want to "be prepared." That means I try to pack EVERYTHING. I'm going to be greatly stretched in my ability to leave stuff out.  Just one more way God is working on me.  A lesson in what's unnecessary.  Only carrying what I need- whether that be emotionally, physically, mentally, in my home, at work, and in my life.  We all learned a lot about that after the fire, but like most people, it's a lesson that needs to be learned over and over again to make it stick.  (I have a feeling that sometime in the next year, I'll be having a giant garage sale to get rid of all the unnecessary junk in my house.  Ed would be ecstatic!)

Hopefully picking up some new hiking boots this week.  While I love my Ahnu boots, they seem to slip easily on wet pavement, so I'm going to try Scarpas.  They were the boots I originally wanted but were so out of my budget that I never thought I'd afford them.  I found some on REI's clearance section of their website right after Christmas so I had a pair sent to the store.  Praying they are comfy. Boots and socks are the most important material thing to get right walking the Camino.   The last thing I need is to have the wrong footwear and have blisters or twist my ankle.  It could mean the difference between continuing or coming home. 

As I pick up my training again, I will also be picking up more hours at work to make up for financial losses this past month, along with continuing to build up my trip fund.  I ask for prayers for the stamina and strength to do it all.  Please pray also that I can stay healthy and keep wheat out of my diet.  Wheat produces terrible week-long headaches that start me on a downward spiral with health and energy.  Yesterday was actually the first headache free day in almost a month and my prayer right now is to continue to bounce back from this latest health fiasco. 

Thank you to everyone for your encouragement and support.  It means so much!   My New Year's resolution this year is to be better at getting back to everyone's emails, texts, and messages.  I have trouble concentrating when the headaches start and haven't replied to many of you.  Now that I'm feeling better, I'm working on carving out time to do this. 

Blessings to everyone for the new year!

Pride

Someone recently told me that losing weight (from walking and from avoiding wheat and sugar, which I'm allergic to) has made me look much older and very tired. It hit hard. Like slamming my pride with a Louisville slugger. While I'm upset, I realize that I'm not upset at that person for being truthful. I'm upset because it is true and it makes me realize how prideful I've gotten about my looks. Pride sneaks in without us realizing it.

My prayer request today is that I remain humble.  I'm getting in shape and losing weight, and while I'm proud of it, I really want to avoid being prideful.  I want to be happy without paying too much attention to my looks.  I don't know if it makes sense. I don't want my goal to become wearing smaller clothes, being fitter and getting complements.  I want my goal to be to use this to get closer to God and outside of myself. To be healthy enough to do whatever God has planned next for me.

I know this is His way of preparing me for my Camino and the way it will be paring away my pride over 500 miles. I pray that I can open my heart and mind to His message.