Kristin McLendon

Kristin McLendon

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

I'm proud of us

This is week six of half marathon training. One day soon I plan on writing my whole running journey that began back in September and sharing it with you, but for now I want to share with you the now. I do believe this is where the saying "the rubber hits the road" comes in. This.is.hard. The weather this week has been awful. I've put off running as long as I can this week and today was the make or break it day to stay on my training plan. Everything in me was screaming no...all the while I was lacing up my shoes.

Thankfully I have a training partner. Thankfully we know how to speak life and encouragement into each other even when neither one of us want to get outside and do this thing. My sweet friend lives four hours away, but I can promise you I would have quit by now if it weren't for her. We both have had the same kind of week....life is busy...and the weather is nasty...and discouraging.

Today-we both made the decision to say yes-and I am so stinkin proud of us (and I think it's okay for me to be proud!).  Today we chose the hard, the not fun, and the not easy. I feel like there were so many life lessons in just the choosing to go for the run today. Life lessons....and blogs....don't you worry....as the miles increase these wheels are turning....I may just be returning to blogging my friends!

Just a side note--to be honest with you, Katie's the real hero--I just have to haul myself around the neighborhood. She's pushing a double stroller around her neighborhood!

Just one of her two running partners today-I tell you-she's my hero and I'm so thankful for her!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

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posted by Kristin @ February 13, 2013 0 Comments

Thursday, November 11, 2010

A Veteran's Day Thank You

The Land of the Free.  That's where I reside.  And today is a day to say thank you to those that have made that possible.  There are many in my own family that have served (and are currently serving) and I also have several friends that have made an impact on me by serving our country.

I do have my own very personal hero and on this Veteran's Day I say, thank you Daddy for your many faithful years of serving our country.


Today is also a day of remembering those that have given the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom and I especially remember my friend Matthew who just over a year ago gave his life.  It's hard to believe it's already been over a year and we miss you more than words can express.  

I encourage all of you to take a moment today and visit the Freeman Project website to see how you can help carry on a soldier's dream.

I also encourage all of you to take a few moments and watch the video below, entitled "Her Son's Gift."  

On a day like today, the words "Thank You" just don't seem like enough.


**This is Day 11 of NaBloPoMo**

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posted by Kristin @ November 11, 2010 0 Comments

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Sharing Life

Saturday was a special day for me.  We had weddings to attend--not just one, but two.  I've done a wedding and a funeral in one day before (on opposite sides of the state mind you) but I've never done two weddings in one day.  It was a long day, but I would do it all over again.

Robert, being the good husband that he is, decided that to do what we normally would have done pre-pregnant Kristin (leave Saturday morning and drive back Saturday night) was just too much.  So he made hotel reservations for Friday night in the town of the first wedding, so we could take it easy Saturday morning (and so glad we did...by the time we were almost half way to our destination we got report that there was sleet in Atlanta!!!)  He also made me "officially" (meaning submit paperwork and everything) take Sunday off so that we didn't have to drive back to the ATL in the wee hours of the night when wedding number two was complete.  He really is too good to me.

Friday we had a good restful evening in Vidalia--Robert drove me around and showed me the home he spent his childhood years in, showed me where his kindergarden graduation was (and where Robert as Rambo made his appearance).  We found the mexican restaurant in town (of course!), got blizzards from the local dairy queen and enjoyed some good quality time together (which was needed!).

We had a restful Saturday morning before heading to wedding number one of the day that was at noon.

Brian Winter was the groom.  Brian holds a very special place in my heart.  I've had the privilege of watching him as a young man in his early years of high school uncertain of this man Jesus to whole heartedly giving his life to Him.


With high school graduation came moving onto college and learning what it meant to be rooted in prayer and cry out on behalf of a campus.  College graduation brought the pursuit of God's will for His life and the full time calling into ministry seemed the road he was to follow. A Youth Minister is now his calling and now as of Saturday, a husband.

Brian, I couldn't be more proud of you.  Thank you for letting me share life with you and watch you grow into the incredible man that you are.  To watch two believers make a covenant with their Beloved Jesus to love one another forever and ever is an honor.  Thank you for letting us be a part of your special day.  God is going to use the two of you mightily in His Kingdom.  We are blessed because of you.  And welcome to the family Amanda!


Up next was I-16 towards good ole SAV.  It was to be a ladies night at the next wedding, so to my parent's house we went to drop off Robert for a night of football with his in-laws.  I then headed to one of my all time favorite places on this planet--downtown Savannah.  The mother of the groom is one of my best friends in all of this world.  I've written about her before  and I still can't put all my feelings about this woman into one post (and yes you have to go read that post, because I just did and am balling all over again).


Heidi, thank you for letting me be a part of your families special night.  It was an honor to be there and watch you be a beautiful mother of the groom.  I tried harder than anything to hold back the tears in your special dance, but finally had to give in.  You are a special woman.  You are one of God's most precious gifts to me and I love  more than anything sharing life with you.  My heart still breaks that I no longer get to run the streets with you on a daily basis, but your life encourages me to not give in to the ordinary.  I love you my Heidi-Ho.  Coffee date in two weeks?  And maybe we can get our hands on another box of bananas. :)

**This is Day 10 of NaBloPoMo**

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posted by Kristin @ November 10, 2010 0 Comments

Saturday, December 26, 2009

A Special Visit from a Special Friend

This years Thanksgiving came with a special treat. While most were out shopping the crazy black Friday deals, I was driving from Perry to the Atlanta airport to pick up my dear friend Sam (my dear friend I've had since the 7th grade!). I've blogged about her before as I've travelled to Maine, but this go around, Sam came south. It was nice for her to come down when there wasn't a mission trip involved. There wasn't a wedding involved, it was simply to enjoy life together, and that we did! Here's a few pictures from our visit together--all taken from the night we took her downtown Atlanta--for dinner at one our favorite restaurants--The Real Chow Baby--then ice skating in Centennial Olympic Park.









Thank you Sam for making this Holiday Season extra special with your visit. Can't wait to do it again soon. Robert and I are working on our "visit Maine soon" fund. :)

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posted by Kristin @ December 26, 2009 0 Comments

Friday, December 18, 2009

One of God's Greatest Gifts to Me

If I may, I'd like to introduce to you one of the greatest gifts God has ever given me.....

Yes, that's a sheep....that is not God's greatest gift to me. It's the lady on the right. She goes by Heidi. My nickname for her? Heidi-Ho. It's okay. She calls me Pippie.

I met Heidi when my time in ministry in Richmond Hill first began. I stood in the pulpit, shared my heart, and this woman came up to me afterwards and shared some amazing comments that made me laugh till it hurt. I knew instantly that I would have a great friendship with this woman. What I didn't know is that the Lord would take Heidi and I not only around the world together, but that He would use her to teach me to hear His voice as I walked my everyday steps.


I can't even begin to summarize into one blog how much Heidi means to me and how vital she is to who I am in the Lord today. But I will share with you how much I love this woman. She challenges me to look outside of my personal bubble and see what Jesus sees. She challenges me to hear His heartbeat and to walk it out. When Heidi and I get together, there is an excitement that stirs as we know the Lord is always up to something--and it's a pleasure to live life with her.

To walk where Jesus would walk with her. To share salvation with a homeless man on a bench with her. To hand out bananas with her and watch through one box of bananas a family be reunited. To take her on her first mission trip to Guatemala. To travel to Romania with her so that she could later lead the first ever all adult mission trip out of RHUMC. To celebrating her birthday together while in Romania. To celebrating my birthday together doing Katrina relief in Mississippi. To her being my wedding director and being absolutely amazing! To sitting in a coffee shop sharing stories of how God is moving in our lives. To sharing life together...the way I believe God intended believers to share life.

My sweet Jesus has blessed me with letting me see her twice over the past two weeks and each time I have said good bye with a lump in my throat. God brought her into my life for a reason. Even though we don't live in the same town these days and our random trips pulling over on the side of the road, getting a homeless man a hotel room, getting him a greyhound bus ticket, taking him to the station, praying for him before we put him on the bus and sending him to where his family lives, are not as often, I treasure this woman as a precious jewel in my life.

Today is my dear friends birthday and Heidi, I want you to know how much I love you. I can't thank Jesus enough for you. You are one of the greatest gifts God has ever given me and I want you to know it! I can hardly write this blog without balling over it and I know when I feel this much affection for you--how much more so does your Heavenly Father feel for you. He loves you so incredibly much--and it's not because of the things you "do". It's because of the way you refuse to fall into the norm of christianity and you walk the way Jesus walked--and you LOVE Him WELL-and that makes a Papa proud.


I love you Heidi. I miss you. Thank you for letting the Lord use YOU to shape me into who I am today. Praying this next year will be a year of overwhelming surprises, blessings, and abundance of Him. That this year will be a year of more dreams and visions from your Beloved Bridegroom. Enjoy Him Heidi, as He enjoys you.

And HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY BEAUTIFUL FRIEND!

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posted by Kristin @ December 18, 2009 0 Comments