Rinn Reflections

Although this is so fabulous that it really could be a lifetime quote....!

"Once we agree with God that we exist for His pleasure and His glory, we can accept whatever comes into our lives as part of His sovereign will and purpose. We will not resent, resist, or reject the 'hard things,' but embrace them as friends, sovereignly designed by God to make us like Jesus and to bring glory to Himself." --Nancy Leigh DeMoss

My friend Jenny at school sent this to me...and it's very funny:

All right ladies, it's that time of year "once" again!!! I think we need to be reminded of a few things. So my sisters, PLEASE, raise your big toes and repeat after me below....

The Open Toed Shoe Pledge
As a member of the Cute Girl Sisterhood, I pledge to follow the rules
when wear wearing sandals and other open-toe shoes:

I promise to always wear sandals that fit. My toes will not hang over
and touch the ground, nor will my heels spill over the backs. And the sides
and tops of my feet will not pudge out between the straps.

I will go polish-free or vow to keep the polish fresh, intact and chip-free.

I will not cheat and just touch up my big toe.

I will sand down any mounds of skin before they turn hard and yellow.

I will shave the hairs off my big toe.

I won't wear pantyhose even if my misinformed girlfriend, coworker,
mother or sister tells me the toe seam really will stay under my toes if I tuck it there.

If a strap breaks, I won't duct-tape, pin, glue or tuck it back into
place hoping it will stay put. I will get my shoe fixed or toss it.

I will not live in corn denial; rather I will lean on my good friend Dr.
Scholl's if my feet need him.

I will resist the urge to buy jelly shoes at Payless for the low, low
price of $4.99 even if my feet are small enough to fit into the kids' sizes. This
is out of concern for my safety, and the safety of others. No one can walk
properly when standing in a pool of sweat and I would hate to take someone down
with me as I fall and break my ankle.

I will take my toe ring off toward the end of the day if my toes swell
and begin to look like Vienna sausages.

I will be brutally honest with my girlfriend/sister/coworker when she
asks me if her feet are too ugly to wear sandals. Someone has to tell her that
her toes are as long as my fingers and no sandal makes creepy feet look
good.

I will promise if I wear flip flops that I will ensure that they actually flip
and flop, making the correct noise while walking and I will swear NOT
to slide or drag my feet while wearing them.

I will promise to go my local nail salon at least once per season and
have a real pedicure (they are about $20 and worth EVERY penny).

I will promise to throw away any white/off-white sandals that show signs
of wear... nothing is tackier than dirty white sandals.

Don't keep this to yourself - pass it on to other sisters.

On Sunday morning, my sweet running friend, Amber, and I ran the Big D (D for Dallas, for you non-Texans) Half-Marathon! David and I were driving over to Dallas when the traffic completely stopped. We turned on the radio and heard that there was a fatal car accident at the exit where we needed to get off--just about 1 mile from where we were sitting! It was 7:10, and the race was supposed to start at 7:30. Amber was already there and checked in, and so I was getting very nervous that I would be late! Then, David noticed that there were runners running down the side of the freeway, so I jumped out of the car and run down the freeway, down the exit ramp, and to the race with them! It was a good thing I did so when I did, because David (who continued to sit in the traffic) said that a few minutes after I left, the police started making runners go back and wait in their cars!

Amber and I had a great run! It was the perfect weather, starting out a little chilly and then warming up into the mid-60's. The people at all the water stops were great (my favorite was the one that passed out red licorice, which gave me a "second wind" around mile 8). Amber's brother joined us around mile 9 and ran the last 4 miles with us!



This is us crossing the finish line--Amber's arms are in the air!!

Our final time was 2:17--just 5 minutes slower than last year. (However, I hope that doesn't mean I get 5 minutes slower each year!) After the race, we joined our husbands and Amber's sweet baby, Tex, and ate bananas, baked potatoes, and drank a lot of protein water!


After running this same race last year, my knees hurt horribly (sharp pains!), and I didn't run again for 6 months. Then, Tim and Susie (David's parents) had orthodics made for me in September, which allowed me to run again and were the best birthday present I could have received! I wear them in my running shoes, and they help my extreme overpronation, which was what had horribly affected my knees. I'm so happy to be able to run again!

David and I attended Family Life's Weekend to Remember marriage conference at the Gaylord Texan. It was an incredible weekend! It was so precious for us to be able to spend a lot of time together learning how to strengthen our marriage. There was a good amount of sessions on topics like conflict-resolution, parenting, and the 5 threats to oneness, along with a good amount of time together as a couple working on "projects," which were very insightful. We attended the conference with our good friends from Keystone Jenny & Joel and Kimi & Rob. It was an awesome weekend, and we highly recommend this conference to anybody--whether engaged, newly married, or married for a long time! It will make you realize all over again what a precious responsibility & joy marriage is!

The Saturday sessions let out around 4:00, so we spent some time exploring the Gaylord Texan! It is an amazing resort, similar to the Opryland Hotel in Nashville. The main part of it is created to look like the Alamo and the Riverwalk in San Antonio. We had a lot of fun walking around and looking at everything, and then we had a delicious dinner at P. F. Changs!!