Thankful

My Thanksgiving was in a place that looks a little like this . . .

I was lucky enough to spend Thanksgiving in Arizona this year, which meant I was able to see a whole bunch of family.  I haven't been home to Indiana since July and before this trip I hadn't been able to visit my brother, who is currently living in Phoenix, so I got the best of both worlds this past week!  And, as an added bonus, I got to see my aunt, uncle, cousins, and all of their kids.

I guess I hadn't thought near as long or hard as I should have in the days leading up to Thanksgiving about all of the things that are so precious in my life.  To try and make a list of all the ways I've been blessed would take hours, and even that in itself is a blessing to be able to say.  I guess the easiest way to sum up all of the wonderful things in my life is to say this:

God has been so incredibly faithful in providing for me, teaching me, developing me, and challenging me to become a woman who is a more accurate reflection of Him each day.

Every person, situation, opportunity, and ability that is a part of my life has a place in the statement above.  And though you may catch me on days when I don't seem particularly "thankful" for His faithfulness, I know I am so incredibly lucky to be loved and pursued by the God of this universe.

I hope I can be more conscious of each and every way in which I am blessed this coming year.  And, I hope each of you had the happiest of Thanksgivings, wherever you spent your time!

195.5

Who knew reflective vests were so stylish?

That's the total distance me and 11 other crazy people ran last weekend.  And let me tell you, it was an experience like no other.

Several months ago, I decided to run in the Ragnar relay, which takes runners from Chattanooga to Nashville.  Each runner is responsible for running 3 legs of the relay, which can be anywhere from 3 to 9 miles long.  My total for the relay: 17 or 8, 4.5, and 4.5 to be more specific.

I'm going to tell you that this race was a blast, but unless you like running you probably won't believe me :)  I'm also going to tell you that only getting one hour of sleep and one shower during the whole 29 hours wasn't that bad.  But, I know you'll think I'm insane for saying that too.

And that's okay.  Because even I have to admit the whole idea is pretty ridiculous.  But, most of the time, it's the ridiculous things I've done that end up being the most fun/exciting/memorable.  And this ridiculous thing just happened to connect me with some truly amazing people that I'm so glad to now call friends.

So here's to all things that are a little off-center.  I say dive in head first.  Life is short and you only get to live it once . . . so why not throw an all-night run complete with reflective gear, headlamps, and a 15-passenger van into the mix?

Getting There

I'm trying to get to a place where I can make decisions that go along with this idea . . .

‎"Discipline is making the choice between what you want now and what you want most."

I'll keep you posted on my progress.