We Are Warriors

7:30am, May 2nd, 2015, we run. 

Runner Girl is helping to lead a movement in South Florida to rescue the victims of human trafficking and modern day slavery.  This will be a 5k unlike any other.  For every child and girl and woman and victim, we dare you to be free and fearless. We cannot be still or silent or apathetic any longer. This is our time.

And if that's not compelling enough for you, then read on...(as written by Rob Morris)

“We found ourselves standing shoulder to shoulder with predators in a small room, looking at little girls through a pane of glass. All of the girls wore red dresses with a number pinned to their dress for identification.

They sat, blankly watching cartoons on TV. They were vacant, shells of what a child should be. There was no light in their eyes, no life left. Their light had been taken from them. These children…raped each night… seven, ten, fifteen times every night. They were so young. Thirteen, eleven… it was hard to tell. Sorrow covered their faces with nothingness.

Except one girl. One girl who wouldn’t watch the cartoons. Her number was 146. She was looking beyond the glass. She was staring out at us with a piercing gaze. There was still fight left in her eyes. There was still life left in this girl…

…All of these emotions begin to wreck you. Break you. It is agony. It is aching. It is grief. It is sorrow. The reaction is intuitive, instinctive. It is visceral. It releases a wailing cry inside of you. It elicits gut-level indignation. It is unbearable. I remember wanting to break through the glass. To take her away from that place. To scoop up as many of them as I could into my arms. To take all of them away. I wanted to break through the glass to tell her to keep fighting. To not give up. To tell her that we were coming for her…”

Because we went in as part of an ongoing, undercover investigation on this particular brothel, we were unable to immediately respond. Evidence had to be collected in order to bring about a raid and eventually justice on those running the brothel. It is an immensely difficult problem when an immediate response cannot address an emergency. Some time later, there was a raid on this brothel and children were rescued. But the girl who wore #146 was no longer there. We do not know what happened to her, but we will never forget her. She changed the course of all of our lives.”  Rob Morris, President and Co-Founder of www.love146.org

That night as I played this over and over in my mind, I stood numb in the shower weeping. I envisioned myself walking to these little girls and lifting them out from behind the glass and rescuing them human being to human being, holding them tightly, like I would my own daughter,  and telling them it was all going to be ok now...no more fear.  

Joel 3:10 challenges us to “train even your weaklings to be warriors.”  In truth, we are all warriors.  No matter who you are.  And we were destined for so much more...to be the voice for the silent and the arms that carry and rescue and the rally cry that calls out and awakens a world to what is happening in dark places and hidden rooms and behind glass walls. We must unite. Everyone deserves to live beautiful.  Free from the fear. This is our time. Let's #enditnow.

My husband joining in the fight.

Help us by spreading the word and following along at these sites...and of course, running or walking or riding your tricycle (if you must) on May 2nd...

http://instagram.com/freeandfearless5k  

https://www.facebook.com/groups/265328000344574/

Stay posted...race link coming soon!

Honey, I Need A Shrink!

Tuesday morning kid drop (before the late bell, just let me say) and I celebrated myself with an extra hot, fully loaded pumpkin spice latte...extra pumpkin...extra spice...extra whip...extra everything please.  Staff meeting in 30 minutes and I was winning. Today was my day.  Traffic was backed up to China in usual Miami style.  The past three years of the 305...cars at a dead halt. I can cross this intersect in my sleep…day after day after day after day, while the nice people in both lanes wave me forward.  With a wink I blow kisses and smiles back at me.  Rainbows in the sky and music in my ear.  

However, as fate would have it or because I (not my guy) was at the wheel of my sparkling newborn 2015 Ford Explorer, this lovely woman (let’s call her Ms. Meanypants) in the middle of an epic game of Candy Crush on her iPhone, decided to deflate my happiness balloon by slamming into my car and then blaming me.  All this before Runner Girl had enjoyed even one tiny sip of pumpkin.  By the way...I got the ticket.  Meanypants apparently had the right of way...Facebook checking , Candy Crush playing, texting or not.  Foot off the gas, head down were only minor details.  At after-school pick up, my 6 year old blue-eyed darling erupted into spasms and volcanic shrieking.  Every mom and teacher piercing my very soul with their stares.  In the perfect ending to my no good-horrible-rotten day, as I cleaned out my recently smashed up Black Beauty and grieved her dent, I threw my $400 key straight into the dumpster, followed by a desperate search through moldy food and some orangy-brown stuff that’s still haunting me. At this point, I grabbed for the dark cloud above my head.  And whispered…"Honey, I may need a shrink.” 

Mama said there’d be days like this.  And when the tough days come.  The tough go to therapy.  Maybe you don’t need to go for a particularly cruddy day...because crud happens...but 95.9% chance you do need to go.

My man and I swear by it.  We tell anyone and everyone, “Get to therapy!”  And we don’t only preach it, we practice it.  Yeah, for the past 9 years of our happily ever after, we have gone to counseling...together.   At this point some of you are freaking out.  Because those of you who are close to us already know that my boy and I are pastors...for the past 13 years already...our entire relationship.  We are counselors.  Taking the hurting by the hand and walking alongside them is our job and our calling.  But who ever heard of a pastor who needed a shrink?

A successful marriage requires falling in love many times.
Always with the same person. (13 years strong!)

And guess what?  We all have stuff.  Doesn’t matter who you are or where you come from or how perfect or imperfect your growing up was.  You have stuff.  And when we get married, that stuff gets messy.  Because now we share our stuff and we have to deal with our stuff and we have to let somebody else see our ugly, gross, hidden, unresolved, lingering, stinky stuff.  And life gets tricky.  

Please if you do go to counseling, ask around for the right one. We once went to a guy who closely resembled Santa Claus, with a gigantic wooden cross hanging from his neck. I kept wondering when the vampires were coming. And he kept asking if I was crying or laughing. Sorry Mr. Claus I'm not quite sure myself.

Some smart and amazing therapist once said, you will push each other’s buttons (dating, engaged, married).  Life is not all about us.  And relationships cause us to grow up.  Healthy relationships look like putting another’s needs before your own…buying flowers, writing a note, words of affirmation, figuring out their needs and wants, thinking about another before you think about yourself. Unhealthy relationships, failed relationships resemble putting ourself first, thinking about what makes me happy, looking out for Number 1, unforgiveness, tantrums, pouting,  and failing to give of ourselves. 

Faith helps.  Prayers help.  Jesus is the answer.  But there are some things.  Deep, hard, difficult issues that we can’t figure out on our own…can’t get over…keep remembering and repeating and allowing to steal our thoughts and our happiness.  It is good to be heard and to receive perspective from another.  A safe place and a safe person to share the things that you’ve never told another soul or to search for the answers you can’t seem to find.  Therapy has been the game changer and the marriage saver in our lives...the perspective shift that has kept our relationship over and over and over again.  So whether it’s the meanypants who smashed your car or the x-spouse who is out to rain on your life parade, see a shrink.  It will make you happy.  I’m pretty sure that God looked at therapy and He saw that it was very good.

Turn On the Power!

Hey Miami, let's turn the lights up and get ready to live!  Unforgettable 5K Fluorescent Fun!   Join thousands of other runners for  3.1 through an electric wonderland!  BYOG (Bring Your Own Glow), LED's, significant others...anything that lights you up!  If you want to run with my team, shoot me a message at runnergirlandthejogblog@gmail.com.  Otherwise, you can register at http://electricrun.com and we'll see you on the lighted trail!

Electric Kid Run

Back to School Basics

Guest blog with this lil' Texas beauty @carsonbates (ain't she the prettiest thing you ever did see?)

Every year as late August starts to creep around the corner, I, along with many other teenage girls, are frantically searching for the perfect first day look. It's all about first impressions and new people, so it's vital to showcase your best! Maybe it's the gorgeous boy who you passed in the halls on the way to Chemistry every day last year (you know that one guy with the aqua blue eyes and amazing dark, untamed hair...sigh). Or that one girl who is the high school fashion princess. Whatever the reason may be, us girls are under ungodly pressure school year after school year to dress to impress. As a high school student with minimum wage in my pocket, shopping has to be carefully planned and thought out. Although the search for fashion success may get tough, we want to show you that it IS possible to build a chic, affordable back to school wardrobe. Be inspired!

Outift #1 Cobalt Cuteness

Beauty

Bold

Brainiac

Be the beauty with the brains this year with a bold, cobalt blue peplum top (Forever 21)! Add a pair of plain black jeans and sandals to casual down the look.  Stay edgy with a simple necklace. 

Outfit #2: Back to school Boho

 

Boho is taking over the fashion world! Find yourself a simple navy and white striped shirt-dress (Urban Outfitters) that fits the typical school dress code. Pair it with basic brown sandals and this gorgeous, cream, lacy cardigan (Pac Sun) to add just enough boho flair!

Outfit #3 Fun in Fringe

FRINGE IS IN! Take this adorable, fringe filled top (rare find from Hollister!!!) and pair it with some olive green jeans to add a pop of color, along with simple tan sandals. This outfit is fall perfection!

Outfit #4 Funky and Free

Long cardigans, thanks to Coachella, are trending like never before! Pair this incredible floral and lace cardigan (Pac Sun) with a plain tank, high-waisted jeans, and strappy black sandals. 

Each of these outfits were fantastically pieced together at  prices we love, so it is possible ladies! We hope we helped inspire you to dress your very best this school year.

 and Carson