Happy Monday! I hope your weekend was as restful as mine was. I drove to Cincinnati to spend time with my brother since my parents are in Las Vegas and worked on Saturday at a Kids and Family Expo for MLJ Adoptions in hopes of meeting some families interested in international adoption. Besides the six hours of work on Saturday, the rest of the weekend was free. Jake and I spent some good time together, but ultimately I rested.

You never fully know how tired and exhausted you are until you stop moving. At least that’s how it always works for me. I can buckle down and keep going purely based on inertia, but when I force myself to stop, I realize just how tired I am. This weekend, I did not touch my computer until Sunday, and I just read and watched television. In fact, halfway through Sunday I felt bored, which is the sign that I’m ready to go again.

Saturday afternoon, despite how cold it was, I went running. I usually leave on my runs with my phone for music and to keep my time. Instead, I decided to unplug and just run. Three miles with nothing but my thoughts felt freeing. Time to pray, time to listen and time to go. How thankful I am for a body that can run, I so often take for granted that blessing, but I have a body that moves, easily, not always fast, but it moves well, and I’ve always lived in safe places where I can run without feeling unsafe. My body and soul feel better when I run.

Catching up on television. More on this tomorrow, but I caught up on television this weekend. Eight episodes of Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal. I loved it, and I refuse to feel guilty that it was not productive because it was what I needed! Thank you ABC on demand.

Dewey’s Pizza is my favorite pizza in Cincinnati. Jake and I decided it’s what we needed on Saturday night. We ate our favorite pizza and watched some football. It was so good!

I finished reading One Thousand Gifts on Sunday morning. I am thankful for the way that Ann Voskamp challenges her readers to live more fully. It is not a quick read, even though it is relatively short, but her words moved me towards greater gratitude and joy. I want to know and walk with Jesus, through gratitude, the way that she does.