Monday, February 27, 2012

Walking the Labyrinth







This past Saturday I went on a retreat with my Mom called "Honoring the Sacred Within."  I have not been in a retreat setting for years, and it was something that I felt that I really needed amidst the chaos of things right now.  One of the highlights was walking the labyrinth, similar to the one above, only it was indoors and on the floor.  A little background on a labyrinth, "the winding path that is walked today is walked in prayer and meditation dates back to 12th century European cathedrals particularly in France and Italy.  Many feel that the Labyrinth allowed for miniature pilgrimages in substitution for the long journeys to Jerusalem expected of penitents.  The Labyrinth is viewed by some as taking one to a holy place.  The ancient tradition is silent prayer in motion, a blue-print for the sacred meeting of mind, body, and heart."

Now I would like to share my experience. 

I started out by writing a request for God on a slip of paper.  This was helpful for me because it gave me something to do with my hands, and for anyone who knows me, this is essential.  Then I started walking - one foot in front of the other - all good, right?  Well I bumped into two of the other ladies also in the process of walking the labyrinth.  Just for the record they were walking out of the labyrinth as I was walking in.  This caused me to start worrying that I was doing something wrong, which has been a common thought as of late.  I forced myself to realize that thought was ridiculous even for me, and so I let it go.  Once I did that I started telling myself to just keep putting one foot in front of the other, and I will get where I am supposed to be.

This thought led me to wish that my life came with bumpers like at a bowling alley or on the labyrinth - something to keep me on the right path.  There are times where I wish there had been a "straighter" course to Danny or a "straighter" line to Denver; perhaps that would make things a little bit easier.  Yet those diversions, those mistakes, those life experiences helped shape who I am.  And that is okay.  I realized while walking that labyrinth that it is okay if life is not always straight - it is still good.  I am grateful for the path that I am on in thanks to God working in my life.

This retreat was a special time spent with some amazing women, many of whom have had a very profound impact on my life.  There was also one very courageous and sweet man that I had the pleasure of meeting that day.  He thinks it's very cool that Danny and I are getting married at Coors Field.  Plus he really likes my parents.  So he and I are all good!

Thursday, February 23, 2012

All that is Spike


Spike and I recently celebrated our three-year anniversary.  Three years ago my world was changed for the better, and I hope the same can be said for him.  He came to me from the Colorado Pug Rescue, which provides the following information (and more) for people who are considering a pug.  Their belief is that a pug is not right for everyone, and so they want to educate people so that you know what you are getting yourself into.

DID YOU KNOW...
  • Pugs shed a lot.   A lot does not really even begin to cover it.  Spike has left remnants of himself everywhere I have ever gone.
  • Pugs snore.
  • Pugs were bred to be companion animals. They NEED to be with their people. They can have behavior problems if they can't be with you. This means they can seem "clingy" or "needy." If you want an aloof, detached dog, you don't want a pug!   See the picture above for proof.
  • A pug's bulgy eyes are susceptible to injury and to medical problems caused by dryness.

The last point speaks to his one eye.  For those who don't know the story, his first owner had allowed an infection to progress when he was brought to the CPR.  The rescue was in the process of raising the funds to fix it when it got poked by one of his little foster brothers.  As the story goes the really sad part is that was his good eye!  The one he has left has a ruptured ulcer on the tip, and so he sees about 85%.  The Spike-Monster really does seem to do okay for himself.  Danny and I do our best to take care of the eye he has left.

Spike-bike is my little boy, and is one truly spoiled pug.  It is so easy to love something that loves you so unconditionally.  He loves me just for walking in the door - how cool is that?  My Mom got me a great magnet that says, "I want to be the person my dog thinks that I am."  It's true - every day I try to be worthy of the love of my Spike.

    Tuesday, February 21, 2012

    Did You See that Shot? DUKE!



    Oh how I love Duke Basketball!  It is especially fun when the loser is UNC!  I have been a Duke fan since the day that I was born due in large part to the fact that my Dad went to Duke.  It could also be said that my sisters and I were taught about the finer things in life from a very young age.

    Watching this year's Duke Team has been a roller-coaster of emotions.  This team lacks a true star, although Austin Rivers is quickly moving into that category.  They also struggle with an inside presence, but I have come to expect that over the years.  I mean Steve Wojciechowski in all his 5' 11.5" glory works with the big men.  While I love Wojo; he was one of the toughest gnats I have ever seen play, an inside game was not his place.  This team also continues another unsettling Duke trend - "live by the three, die by the three."  Yet, these guys are one of the scrappiest bunches I have seen in a long time.  This is what makes them so much fun to watch since they don't appear to ever really be out of the game (there's that three point shot rule again).  Case in point the shot shown above marked 3-pointer number 14 as UNC led by 10-12 points for most of the game. 

    I think Coach K (Coach Krzyzewski) said it best, "this team could go very deep into the tournament, or it could go out in the first round."  I am going to hope for the former.  This year's Big Dance will also be especially exciting since it marks the return of my own Alma mater - HOOSIERS!  They are another enigma of a team, but you know that is what makes it exciting!


    Wednesday, February 15, 2012

    I am a Planner: Deal with It, Please

    Seven months from today Danny and I will be getting married.  What I am really thinking as I type that is, gracious I have been at this wedding planning nonsense for five months!  FIVE MONTHS!  In some ways the time has gone by really fast, but at other moments it feels like an eternity.  And some days I feel like my buddy Marvin the Martian up there...  I have developed pet peeves that I did not even know were possible leading up to planning a wedding that I hope will become a distant memory after I am Danny's wife (still not ready to call myself the future Mrs. Pechie). 

    Here is the run-down:
    1. Wedding Favors.  Please do not even bring this one up to me anymore.  No offense to anyone, please; but I have never understood their purpose.   I will be grateful for every one's presence at the wedding, but I will say it with words not a little trinket that people may/may not want.
    2. Centerpieces.  This has been a source of serious anxiety for me, especially when I completely lose perspective about what is really important in life.  The root of the issue - I am allergic to flowers.  While this has thrilled many a man in my life since he did not have to spend money on flowers for me; it can be problematic when designing a centerpiece since 99.999% of centerpiece design ideas incorporate flowers.  I finally found something that Danny and I are both really excited about that does not include flowers!  It does include something kind of silly, but hey we're silly.
    3. Poor Customer Service.  Okay, truth be told this is a long-standing one; but it has been exacerbated as I deal with wedding vendors.  Do they understand I am trying to pay them money?!  The latest example has to do with my veil and tiara.  I have always wanted a tiara, and I was so grateful when my parents did not question this decision.  I digress.  The veil and tiara were supposed to arrive in the store two weeks after being ordered.  We are now on week 7.5.  Did the store inform me that these two items were on back-order?  No, they just let me sweat it out.  My veil came in last night, but my tiara is going to be another 2-4 weeks.  What if I had waited until the last minute?  This leads me to my biggest pet peeve of all...
    4. Oh You have PLENTY of Time.  My absolute favorite is when they throw in a dear afterward, as if the pet name is supposed to make me feel better about this person making me feeling like an idiot for planning ahead.  When people say this they are failing to recognize a couple key points: (a) You (the vendor) are one aspect of this wedding.  I have about 100 other aspects that I am dealing with; would you care to help with those too?  and (b) I do have a job and a life outside of this wedding.  The summer months are always crazy from a work perspective, and so I am trying to be prepared so that I have a job to go back to after my wedding. 
    I think I am done now.  I am so lucky that Danny understands me.  God love him, he took me to Barnes and Noble the day after we got engaged  to get a book and a magazine with a timeline in it so that I could start the planning process.  I sure hope that I have not crossed into the "Bridezilla" Zone just yet, nor do I want to.  I have plenty of people around me to tell me if and when I do.  The greatest comfort I take in planning ahead is that it has allowed us to change our mind on certain things, or find something we liked better.  Most recently those centerpieces! 

    Phew.  I feel better, thank you for reading.  The next post will have to do with sports, I am sure.  I mean hello, did you see the shot heard around Tobacco Road and beyond?  GO DUKE!
       


    Thursday, February 9, 2012

    Everyone Can't Be in Your Front Row

    I will be honest,  I am that sappy hopeless romantic who loves Valentine's Day.  Even when I did not have a significant other to spend that day with, I have been lucky enough to have  someone special to be my Valentine.  My Beth was my Valentine many a year, and she always made me feel loved.  Isn't that what this holiday is supposed to be about?  As the holiday approaches this year I find myself thinking a lot about relationships.  Not just my relationship with Danny, but all the relationships in my life.  I am no relationship expert, believe me; I just know that I am very blessed by the people in my life. 

    Yet, I also find myself mourning relationships lost over the years.  I am horrible with break-ups of any sort, but I have come to realize that I cannot keep everyone forever.  I did find a lot of comfort in this passage that a colleague of mine recently shared with me.  He received it as he was mourning the death of a very dear friend.

    Everyone Can’t be in Your Front Row

    Life is a theatre - invite your audience carefully.  Not everyone is holy enough and healthy enough to have a front row seat in our lives.  There are some people in your life that need to be loved from a distance.  It’s amazing what you can accomplish when you let go, or at least minimize your time with draining, negative, incompatible, not-going-anywhere relationships around you.  Pay attention to:  Which ones lift and which ones lean?  Which ones encourage and which ones discourage?  Which ones are on a path of growth uphill and which ones are going downhill?  When you leave certain people, do you feel better or feel worse?  Which ones always have drama or don’t really understand, know and appreciate you and the gift that lies within you?  The more you seek God and the things of God – the more you seek things honorable – the more you seek growth, peace of mind, love and truth around you the easier it will become for you to decide who gets to sit in the FRONT ROW and who should be moved to the balcony of your life.  You cannot change the people around you…but you can change the people you are around!  Ask God for wisdom and discernment and choose wisely the people who sit in the front row of your life.


    -Author Unknown


    Even if you do not like to celebrate Valentine's Day, I do challenge you to celebrate the special relationships in your life!  I also ask you to think about who is in your front row? 
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