Life is good

So a lot has happened since I've posted last...
Completed the dreaded IronMan. It was definitely the longest most hellish day of my life but its over. I did it. I still am unable to believe that I did it. And I look around me at all the other people that did it and I am so incredibly proud of all of us. Never in our lives would we have thought we would be able to do something like that. I would not have been able to do it without my family though. Not just my blood family but my 24/7 and new life family. My homesponsor ran probably 9 or 10 miles with me and walked 3 or so with me. Jen, Laurie's homesponsor ran/walked 3 miles with me, so did Skoog. Then at the end Monica and I finished the last 3 miles and then Melissa came back finished the last little bit with us. I am so blessed.

Then this last weekend we had survival training which was pretty cool. I learned a lot.

For some reason I'm being very ADD at the moment and trying to do like 6 things at once and getting distracted and am not accomplishing any of them. I did however just unclog my toilet which was very exciting. I wish I could say I did it by myself but I was coached by my dad on the phone the whole time. (what would I would do without that man I don't know)

I'm so glad to be here but sometimes I really wish I wasn't missing out on stuff back home. My older brother is moving out on his own, (yes he is 23 and just now moving out on his own for the first time) one of my younger brothers is in highschool now and will be learning to drive this summer. My best friend from back home is so musically and creatively gifted its not even funny and she will be moving on and doing something crazy awesome after she finishes school of worship. My church is growing and building a new building. My youth group is growing. All my friends from home are off in the real world. I know I'm supposed to be here, I just wish I could be there to see all the changes that are happening at home too. Change is a strange thing.
It comes when you least expect it and can completely turn your world upside down and you won't know what happened. If you don't pay attention you might miss it.
It definitely makes you want to savor every minute you have with the people you love and live every moment to the fullest.
There are 10 weeks left until graduation...That blows my mind to think about. It feels like I just got here but at the same time it feels like I've been here for years. I've grown and learned so much in the last 7 months its unbelievable.

Lord help me to make the most of these last 10 weeks and live every single second to the absolute fullest not taking anything for granted.

So much for sleeping in...

My first chance to sleep in, in over a week and I wake up at 5 30 and kinda drift in and out of sleep till 7 30 when I was unable to sleep at all. Gotta love it when that happens...So I got some laundry done, finally got to look through most of the pictures from mexico, and did some other stuff on the computer. But now it is 10 and I need to run 12 miles today, blah.

I wish there was some way I could make myself enjoy running. Or at least not loath it. There really are not many things I would not rather do than run. I would rather hike pinnacle in the freezing rain without a jacket 12 times than run 12 miles. Oh the Ironman is going to be lots of fun...12 days...holy crap. But that also means 13 days until I can drink coffee! I'll just focus on that for all 140 miles. After this I can drink coffee! After this I can drink coffee! I know I'm pathetic its ok I've accepted it. I'm just tired of being tired all the time. I look dead, I feel dead, it's no bueno.

Well I've been putting it off long enough, I need to suck it up and go run 12 miles.

Beautiful Day

For some reason this fast is harder than any other fast. Harder than the "c" word fast, harder than fasting all food even. I never realized how much caffeine I put in me every day until now. Plus working blends doesn't help. It's ok though, I'll get through this, Jesus can be my coffee!


It's so nice outside. It's days like today that make me want to climb a mountain then sit at the top overlooking everything and play guitar. I will do that someday...

But for now I will have to settle for running Salem trail with my ipod.

Not able to sleep

There is so much I want to say I don't even know where to start...There's not even enough room or time to write everything so I will try to narrow it down to the most important...

God has shown me so much in the last few months its insane. These last three weeks in Mexico especially. There are so many things in life that you know in your head but you don't really know them in your heart. For instance: I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. I can be a slut *in a drama people, don't get any ideas*, eat more food than should be humanly possible to consume in one day, pray for people that don't even speak my language, tell my testimony in front of lots and lots of people, be confident in who God made me to be, and completely trust God with absolutely everything. You know what else? Just try to wrap your mind around this. The God that created the universe, the God that spoke mountains into existence, the God that is so big he is everywhere at the same time loves me, and chose me to be in this program and to go to Mexico and tell people about Him. Out of all the people in the world, I got to do that. Dude.
Have you just sat there and tried to wrap your mind around how much God loves you lately? I think that too often we forget exactly what that love entails. Too often we just know it in our head.
We wrote down goals today and one of mine is to never forget and just know in my head that God loves me, but to always know it in my heart. To never get used to the fact that the God that created this entire world and everyone in it loves me. Me, ZuZu Ford. Every time I think about that, like really think about it, I have this major wow moment and I want to go tell everyone so that they can realize the same thing.

So these are just a few things and when you read most of them you're like, ya duh I've known that my whole life but there is a big difference between knowing something and knowing something. That is something I'm learning, to never let yourself get used to the things of God to where they don't amaze you anymore and they just seem normal.

There is so much more I want to say but now I need to sleep. I will write more later.

Hopefully soon I'll have pictures I can put up too.
Later
Zu

Off to Mexico I go!

Hey guys just wanted to post really quick before I leave. I have to be at the church in like half an hour and I think I am done packing....I took my last shower this morning and straightened my hair. I should take before and after pictures lol

Anyway I better go I've got some things to clean before I leave but feel free to leave me lots of messages on my phone to come home to!

God is going to do some freakin awesome things and I get to be a part of it. How cool is that? Dude I'm excited!

Later yo! I'll be back on the 31st!

2009

Wow I haven't posted anything on here in a really long time.
Well it is now the year 2009. I cannot even begin to describe how I excited I am for this next year. God is going to do some crazy awesome things and I get to be apart of some of them.

So this is the last day of Christmas break before we go home tomorrow. It's been a good relaxing break, maybe a little too relaxing. There were a couple of days where I got so bored I about went crazy. It was good getting to spend time with my family. We are actually getting along now so that is awesome. I am however ready to go back. I miss my 24/7 family. I miss having things to do every day. I miss Blends coffee. I even miss working out with everyone cuz working out on your own sucks.

Ok well I have things to get done today before I leave so I will leave you with this quote from a book I've been reading this week.

"A leader fails his disciples when he fails to help them progress from disciples to leaders." -Rick Zachary

Wheat thins are amazing

Wow so much has happened sInce I posted last...For one thIng my computer Is freakIng out and for some reason every tIme I type the letter "I" It Is In caps and so for every word that has an "I" In It, the spell check thInks Its mIsspelled because theres a capItal letter In the mIddle of the word. Its drIvIng me crazy.

Other than that thIngs are goIng pretty well. There Is drama wIth one of the gIrls on my team wIth the fact that no one lIkes her and we're gettIng In trouble for IgnorIng her.
Pastor RIck saId yesterday that the people you don't lIke are the people you're goIng to learn the most from In thIs program. He saId that anyone can love someone you get along wIth but It takes a true ChrIstIan to love someone you thInk Is a paIn In the butt.

I thought about that and realized that he's right. I've learned so much from this girl whether I like it or not. I've learned how a lot of the things she says are the things I think but would never say, things like when we hear about some crazy thing we have to do she will say "what? are you serious? oh gosh this is going to suck." it's honestly what most of us are thinking but when said aloud its the stupidest thing ever. I've learned to change the way I think, to take my thoughts captive. I'm also learning how to be patient and love people who are not exactly the most loveable people. I know that God put her on my team for a reason.

So ya things are interesting here...I know about some stuff that's coming that I'm not supposed to know about and I don't know everything about it, just enough to make me anxious and nervous about it and kinda wish I didn't know about it...that made no sense but thats ok...

I'm experiencing bloggers block at the moment so I'm going to continue this later...

Later