The Craziest Thing I've Ever Done

This past weekend I spent 24 hours in a van with five other people. And in this 24 hours, I ran three legs of a race from Chattanooga to Nashville. 196 miles were completed with twelve pairs of legs and a lot of laughter and power bars. Now I'm sure you think I'm crazy, right? Well apparently there are many other crazies out there because there were several hundred teams running along side mine in this crazy, 196 mile, 36(ish) total hour relay race called the Ragnar. Let me tell you people, it was crazy but it was FUN. So fun that I hope to do it again next year and get others to do it as well. So whether you're a runner or not, YOU CAN DO IT. If I can run, trust me, you can too. If you've never tried, go out and buy yourself a new pair of tennis shoes and make a playlist that hypes you up and get out and try it. Or at least get outside. And if you've tried before and haven't succeeded, try again. Start slower, with intervals or running and walking and then increase the running while decreasing the walking. If you need motivation other than yourself (let's face it, most of us, including myself, do not have that sort of dedication) think about getting this ap or join a local running group like this one. It's amazing what you can do when you put your mind to it. Running is the best "me-time" I could recommend to anyone. It's free, it's outside, and it clears your mind while lifting your mood (thanks endorphins!!). So if you're looking for a stress-reliever or just some alone time to think, try running. It could change your life.

Here are some pictures from the race!!

Our shirts. 1 Peter 2:11

 Sweet Sarah cheering on her husband

 Finishing my first leg 4.4 miles

 FINISHING AS A TEAM!!!

 The team: Ashley, Me, Eric, Jay, Dad, Daphne, Mark (our leader), Lisa, Jere, Sarah, Judd, and Kim

 Leaving our mark

 My first race medal!

My best friend and father. We're running buddies :)

Good Music for a Pretty Day

It's chilly outside now and I LOVE it!!! Also, I just cannot get over Drew & Ellie Holcomb. Such beautiful people with such beautiful voices. I'm heading to Knoxville tomorrow to see the campus. Hopefully I will have some sort of discernment about where I'm supposed to go after this visit. Fingers crossed!! Bonne Weekend!!

How Great He Is

Im getting out of my funk. The last month has had some really great moments but has for the most part been filled with stress and loneliness. Why, you may be wondering? Honestly I have no idea. I have the worlds greatest family and true friends who are real and honest and build me up spiritually. But for so much of my time the past month I have had this ache in my chest. This pit of loneliness. It has consumed me, exhausted me. But still, through all this darkness I can say that God is STILL and ALWAYS good. It blows my mind that when he created me, he created me for this exact moment. And I am perfectly made and perfectly His. What an unbelievable fact!!! Pslam 139 says "I praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made". God made my laugh, my big smile, my brain that is capable of (thankfully) comprehending pre-calculus and my legs that are strong enough to carry me on my hour-long run yesterday (best run ever- so far- 5.66 miles!). He made my heart that yearns for adventure and that aches with desire for orphans of Uganda and India and all across the globe. And the most beautiful this is that he has placed in my heart a small compass that always turns back to him. So even in hard times, in stressful times, in lonely times, I will praise his name and sing "My God How Great Thou Art!"

If you have not heard this wonderful hymn that always pulls my heart strings, go find it and LISTEN. And praise His name.

Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee, How great thou art, 

How great thou art.

This Is the Stuff

Life lately has been interesting. Mostly, I've just felt REALLY stressed. Have you ever had that little pit of anxiety that sits in your stomach and weighs on your chest and you just have that feeling. The feeling that the stress will grow. And consume you. Absolutely swallow you whole. Just one gulp is all it will take because you're just so small and helpless. With school, trying to figure out college and scholarship stuff, and my "motherly" nature (trying to fix everyone else and help everyone else) I feel less than paper thin. But through that I can still see that God is good. And he's using this time for a reason, whatever that reason is.

"The LORD your God is with you. He is mighty to save. He takes great delight in you. He will quiet you with his love and rejoice over you with singing." Zepheniah 3:17

What to Write About...

Today was a half day at school and I promised myself that I would blog today (See, I'm actually trying to make it a priority). But as I sit at the computer with a stomach full of BlueCoast Burrito, my mind falls short in the creative category. On most of my favorite blogs (see Here. Here. and Here.) there are some sort of "Favorite Things" Posts. So here are 10 things I love at the moment...

Ten Things I Love...

1. I am obsessed with all of Emma Leonard's artwork. Magnificent.

2. This reminder that sometimes life is actually as beautiful as I dream it to be

3. Moments like this one.

4. Let's get a {pretty little coral} trailer.."

5. I just love floral!!

5. My heart cries JOY for this picture..

Isaiah 61

6. Can I have handwriting like this please???

7. I'm seriously in love with these books.. Like my heart beats faster every time I look at them.

8. This beautiful pattern (Floral, again, I know)

9. This Hair (see how to here.)

10. This video by the wonderful Drew and Ellie Holcomb (Drew Holcomb & the Neighbors)

It makes my heart HAPPY.

Starting Over

I've wanted to be a blogger for a long time, believe me I've tried. So I felt like I needed a fresh start- a blank canvas. This is my last year of high school and soon I will be moving onto college and then wherever God takes me. Am I nervous? Nervous is an understatement. All I can do though is pray and rest assured that God has already made a place for me at a college, He's already laid out a husband for me, an occupation for me and many blessing, as well as trials, for me. I am some what of a control freak. I hate feeling out of control but God is teaching me that his plans are far better than mine and I can have faith that he has a plan to give me a hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11). So I am trying to break my grip on the steering wheel and enjoy life as God takes the driver's seat. So here goes nothing..

Enjoy the ride.

"I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord." Psalm 27:13-14