I need you at the dimming of the day.

Little things people! Little things!

My Saturday was nothing like what I had expected it to be. I had planned on sleeping in, doing the homework for my  Monday and Tuesday classes,then go out to hot pot with a group of friends for a birthday. 

Instead, I ended up going to ZZ on the faculty bus! 

Only having heard of it late the night before, I really didn't have much of a plan

as to what I was going to do there. I just figured I would latch on to one of my friends or a group of one kind or another and just enjoy being off campus and out for the day! 

In the event I was near a place that could help replace the screen on my kindle,

I took it with me in my bag. {Maybe not the best idea as I don't have a hard sided case to carry
it in so I feel like it got pushed and poked a little more then it wanted to!}

Once on the bus, I sat next to a teacher I only kinda sorta know. 

She was once an English teacher here but has since moved on twice to different schools, but still comes back to visit. 

Last time I was here, we ended up singing together at an event one weekend. 

We began talking about my reasons for heading back

to the States for a year after this summer and the roads that conversation took us

on turned out to be the kind of encouraging she was needing this week. 

As we got closer to the stops {the bus makes two, one at the subway station which is where I could have gotten off to head toward the location that would have possibly fixed Elliott, and the other is near a big mall.} she asked me what I had planned to do for the day. When I told her I only 

had plans to not be on campus, she asked me if I would go with her

to visit a friend. She was suppose to have someone else go with her but they had

been able to come and she was wanting extra company.

I won't go into details, but I was happy after all of it, that I went with her.

It was a good experience for me and I could see that it was actually

the reason that I was on the bus! 

We had enough time after the visit {Where we went out to eat at a really nummy restaurant!}

to get over to where the bus would pick us up, which was in the parking lot of

METRO.

Metro is kinda like the China version of Sams Club, in many ways. 

I was able to get things I can't get here in XinZheng, like chocolate spread,tiny coffee filters for my little tea/coffee pot, canned spaghetti sauce, and cheese!! So worth it all!

I then came back, had about 20 minutes to set things down in my room and head back out

the door to meet for hot pot!

We got ice cream after as well.

#ItsTheLittleThings

Once back in my room, I washed all my dishes and cleaned the sink and counter, swept and mopped the bathroom floor, as well as my bedroom floor. {I love the feeling of having so much clean! Laundry is next!!} 

There wasn't much time after that before the hot water would be gone, so I began to do some PT before hopping in the shower. Because I was out, I wasn't able to drink as much water as I would have liked to,{Only 4 bottles today} but that doesn't mean that my PT and vitamin/herb routine has to be messed up too. 

I went really light tonight since I did a lot of walking today and

my legs were already feeling a little jelly like.

15 standing side leg lifts for each leg x3

15 standing straight up leg lifts per leg

15 laying straight leg lifts per leg. 

15 second plank x3

AND.....get this.....

15 {modified} Burpees!!!

After all of that, I felt like I could kick butt! Ok..so, no..not actually. I had to have assistance {In the form of a chair} to get myself up off the floor as my legs were not able to hold me, but I did it. I got up!

I also spent about 2 minutes icing my back in a cold shower. {2 minutes was all I could handle with that cold!!!} 

I may not have been able to move much after it, but just knowing I made it through it felt amazing!

A month ago, I was in tears from the pain and worried that I was going to have to book an emergency flight back to the States for surgery. Today, I did 15 burpees after having done 60 leg lifts! 

I huffed, puffed, had to egg myself on {come on. only four more to go, you can do this!} I was reciting all the Word I could think of that would get me to push myself {I can do all things. Nothing is impossible. Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death.....} 

It was not pretty.

But I don't have to be pretty....yet!

My roommate heard all the noise I was making {and to be honest, I was keeping it as quiet as I could....but I was huffing pretty hard and murmuring, as well as dripping in sweat!} and she said
"Don't exert !!" 

I ignored it. ;) 

I am not going to let this get the better of me! 

I am going to be 31 and in shape. 

I am going to be 31 and look like I am 21 again!

I am going to keep going!

I am going to kick butt! {My own preferably!} 

And I know, that even though that is a lot of *I* 

in the end, this is all going to have nothing to 

do with me....but it will have a lot to do with

I Am. 

:)

15 burpees isn't all that great, but to me, it's not so little.