Wednesday, June 27, 2018

Last Day with Mom and Some Words on the World and Work

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I can't believe how fast this vacation went by...we did miss out on one day at the beginning since we didn't come when it rained, but it was already the last full day Mom and I would have before Dad came!

The run wasn't too bad even after another late night and windy morning. Mom was having more pain with her elbow, so she did about 7 with me out and back in one direction, then let me finish the last little bit on my own. That was actually kind of refreshing for me as a way to break up the run in my mind! I was proud of her, though. She went farther than we had originally planned for her to stay!

This section of the Bible study booklet was getting deeper and more into making personal changes and commitments. In the questions it asked, it was like God really asking me relative to my life. It makes my heart hurt at times thinking about how the world has changed. Life is hard. It's not like it used to be; we all know that. As you get older, there are more responsibilities and more knowledge, but also as the world changes, there is more pressure and more to be burdened about. Society is so demanding. People are working multiple jobs or with a single job, it is asking for way more hours and effort than would be thought to go with it. It is like there is always more to be done, and there is no reason why you can't just drop everything and fix every problem. Every job is your only job. People don't respect each others' personal lives or the need for rest and relaxation and fellowship. If there is money to be made or work to be done, do it! I know kids who were in school all day every day, involved in sports and clubs, take advanced and AP classes, and work several shifts of one or more jobs per week. When do you sleep, eat, see friends and family, spend time in the Bible? I have a lot of trouble with all these things, and I was in class much less than my high school counterparts. The people in charge in these situations have no mercy. You're working for them, what is the rest of your life? They often make others feel inadequate and hopeless by not considering all the stress they are under and other obligations in life, not to mention personal health, hygiene, family, spirit, school, and sports. No matter how young or old you are, these things matter; they have a great place in God's plan, as well. All these distractions and more things "to do" are ways that Satan is at work in the world to pull us away from the peace and joy of life in Christ. We who know how Christ wants us to think and act must stand on these beliefs. When we get pulled in too many directions, we are not able to spend time with God, rest and get energy to do our job(s) well, and if we can't even take time for ourselves, how will we be able to help others? As I have come to find so true, you can't pour from an empty cup. We need to come together, care for one another, have grace and mercy, and remember that our main obligation is to serve the Lord. Finding peace and purpose in Him is more rewarding than success by the world's standards.
**Not all jobs or individual's lives are this hectic or have pressuring circumstances; this is just my general observation.

The second question that really stood out to me was about surrendering habits in order to grow closer and be more useful to the Lord. Wow, habits are what hold me back for sure. I love to plan and get in routines, which can be good! However, they can also be oh, so very bad. Just for some accountability, necessary for growth and connection personally and spiritually, some habits I need to change are simply eating and sleeping more and better. After that, the smaller issues will fade as well.

Finally, hearing and doing...it's so easy to have a great Bible study or hear a great sermon! But "The man who hears My words and puts them into practice is like a man who built his house on the rock..." Matthew 7:24-27. Like I said above, we have to build ourselves up spiritually, but it can't stop there. Then we have to take it out and do something with it! Faith grows when we do. But there is so much we can do! Ask my mom, I have so much stuff, so many "projects" and "things to do" that my part of the house is a mess sometimes. I have things I've wanted to do for years, maybe started, maybe not. As I've gotten older, there are just so many things, and I can't find the time to do much other than the day-to-day. That makes me sad, too, because I used to have time to relax, read, draw, craft, heck I would even get bored! When there are way too many things to do, we have to again remember that God's work is our #1 job. Pray for guidance on what to do with our time. No, we don't always know where to go with our day's agenda, but the most important thing is to go at whatever it is we do with our best effort to use it to make an impact for Christ. If we just do things to do things, not thinking about our purpose for doing so, then we aren't really making progress, only "chasing after the wind" (Ecclesiastes 2:11), and let me tell you, wind is not fun!

So for other things of the day! I enjoyed matching my coffee cup, sunglasses and color!

New beachy snacks! Literally, (chocolate almond coconut) seaweed and tuna.

Bummed out at Bojangles. We had been there before, and it was good! A couple locals were even surprised. Service stunk. It took over 5 minutes for the workers to even come to the counter. They just ignored us. Then a guy came from the bathroom and a manager from the back. The people in front of us ordering could not get it straight with the guy. People sitting at a table with only drinks had been waiting on their food long before we got in line, which had now grown much longer. So, most of us left. Now trying to find somewhere to go, Mom and I decided on Olive Garden! No, not at all like Bojangles, but with two of us, we usually get seated and served quickly, and Mom had a giftcard. It was also right next to our next stop, so we went with it. We are sure thankful for that giftcard, because OG is way too pricey. I got a double chicken breast thing with seasonal roasted vegetables and Parmesan zucchini, and Mom got pasta (not as good as Dad's obviously). Tasty, just not our usual!

This night we made another stop that we knew Dad wouldn't want to: The Christmas Mouse at Barefoot Landing! There is so much in there, and it's so wonderful. We could spend hours and hundreds of dollars. I have to restrain myself around Christmas items. So, Mom and I found our favorites and decided to think on them until the next time we come and could then buy what we really thought best.
These were four of my favorites.

It was also a good day to go because it was National Gingerbread Day! Why it is in June, I have no idea. I guess it's to help heal withdrawal symptoms.

We also went in MR Ducks to look at some dog shirts that caught our attention, but again way too expensive. I so would have bought the black lab and jeep shirt, though! I love to get things that express my life.

Finally, back at the room I pulled out some of the desserts that I had gotten at Walmart. Chilly Cow is new just over the summer, and it is delicious! It is one of those aimed at having high-quality ingredients and flavor, and I support it! It is also higher protein from the way the milk is used, and I need more protein! The brown butter salted caramel flavor paired perfectly with a cookie crumble bar from Starbucks downstairs! Quoted from the box, "As sweet as a day on the beach, only way, way cooler." Coordination here made me smile!

Monday, June 25, 2018

Bear Fruit


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8:16 AM on Monday, June 4, 2018

I was a little off from the get-go today. At the first mile spot, I wondered why I hadn't heard my watch beep. Then I remembered that I biked the night before and didn't change my "sport" before I hit "start" this morning. Oh well, that can be fixed later! Not that I really pay attention on vacation, but it was a Monday! To make it better (sarcasm), it was super hot and windy. But when I got down to the beach, the wind had decreased to basically nothing. That makes it better for reading and things not blowing away, but it makes it so rough for sitting in the heat and humidity with no air flow! Since there are no hills at the beach, I get some extra work fighting the wind then taking a run up the stairs after I finish. It is a great view out the elevator window!

This was the first day I started my new breakfast scramble (that I have now carried home and done almost every day). Eggs, peppers and onions, avocado, with some seasoning salt (can't do avo without something yikes). Plus, being a runner, especially in the hot and humid, NEED SALT.

For my extra reading thing for today, I took down a new (actually old) magazine feature that Mom had printed off for me for one of my "wish list" gifts from Christmas. It is a feature story on Ryan Hall that was in an issue in 2008. It's all about how his faith impacts his running. You can still find it online by searching Ryan Hall The Power and The Glory! As Christians are called to be "imitators of Christ" (Ephesians 5:1-2), Ryan makes that his goal in all walks (or runs, haha) of his life. While sports can sometimes take us away from church, it doesn't have to take us away from worship. Church is simply a place to gather as believers; worship is a way of life. The church the Hall family attends is totally supportive of his faith and sport, and he puts as much into his church as he can. While there were many ups and downs throughout Ryan's career, he was confident that the Lord had a plan. He didn't always have such a close relationship with the Lord, but through some trials and wake up calls along the way, his faith grew so strong. As I have also learned, I am not a runner who happens to be a Christian; I am a Christian who happens to be a runner. I am who God made me, and He lets me run as a way to bring Him glory. Whatever we do, we are to give it our best because it is something that God has given us to use. If I am strong and have endurance and running ability, I should make it my goal to develop my talent to get to the best opportunities (big and small, near and far) to use it for Him. Not necessarily winning or beating people, but thriving and reaching people. Just like we have to train to finish races, we have to be ready in strength of faith for the goal of heaven. Every day matters.

Lunch was the most proud of a project for the summer that I have been yet. I have a list of random things that I want to get done this summer, and this was one of them. I have to stop putting things off and just do them when I get a chance! I am a procrastinator, believe it or not. This pineapple bowl literally made my day. It was so much easier than I thought, and it turned out prettier than expected! I added a little bit of the fruit from it as well as some frozen berries, mixed in some Cheetah Chomps cereal, and sprinkled on some coconut flakes to eat on the beach. If this isn't quintessential summer, I don't know what is.



My Bible study from the NOW book today fit right in: John 15:1-11, "...This is to My Father's glory that you bear much fruit...I have told you this so that My joy may be in you and your joy made complete."
What good is a plant that has no roots? It can't grow. It quickly dies. It can't produce fruit. Then no one else can receive the benefits of it. Same goes with us. When we are disconnected from our source, Christ, we don't last long. We dry up and drift away, losing our own energy and keeping others from experiencing it, too. I want to do so much with my life, but the main thing I want is to make the moments matter. I have to remind myself along the way that to make my life matter, I can't be reserved and selfish. Yes, I first have to fill myself with God's Word, but that will then power me to share with others. I always have to have balance. I need to take care of myself, but I don't like to do things if others aren't a part of it. BUT I have to remember that I have to feed myself the fruit of the Lord in order to share the good fruits with others! (It's also been on my list for over 3 years now to have a potluck Bible study brunch with fruits, using fruit scriptures like this as the theme. If my life goes the way I wish--as we know God doesn't usually work that way!--things like this would be my job. (PS let me know if you want to have a Bible study with me sometime!)


Drink of the day was also fruity: new Ocean Spray Pact! Ocean Spray with a side of some real ocean spray...is it heaven?

Dinner is one of my beach favorites, not that I can't get it basically everywhere else, but it simply seems better here. The Salsarita's we go to has a great patio we eat on complete with nice picnic tables and umbrellas, music, and flowers. I love my burrito bowls. And that Salsarita's has all the flavors of Chohula sauce for customer use.


For the night's shopping, we went to TJMaxx! They always have good swim suits, but at the beach, it's even better. I spent so long trying them on...well over 10. The main issue is that with team training, we do swim workouts, and I really want a sporty one-piece! But those things are hard to find the right fit, and being small doesn't help. Full price at a sports/athletic clothing store, those things are outrageous expensive, too, and I am not about to pay minimum $60 for one, nope. We were there way longer than expected, but it's the beach, and I am doing all I can. Next we went to Broadway at the Beach since it is open later than most places so we could go a few places that Dad wouldn't want to go. The semi-annual sale at Victoria's Secret and Pink had just started, and I got some of the best deals! This is another place that I love but will not pay full price for. These deals were GREAT! I could've bought so many more things, but I am trying to restrain my spending to things I actually need more of.
(These pictures weren’t things I bought on the trip, but this was one of my projects of the day—some of my favorite beach-theme products!)


Last stop of the night was a new dessert place that I've seen local to Myrtle and wanted to go over the past few years. There are now two shops down Ocean Blvd. Kirk's Ice CreamParlor is a long-lived, local favorite, and I can see why! They have over 30 flavors, and they are all delicious! It is one of those places that has more than the generic. Not bad price either. Two of my favorite things. Needless to say, I told Mom we had to go back. She was not opposed because I got a nutty coconut flavor and let her try. She was amazed and wanted her own later in the week.



Sunday, June 17, 2018

Sleep[LESS] [SUN]day

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More sun, less sleep is how the entire vacation ended up going, but this was just the beginning. To have gotten the least sleep in a long time after a fun and late night out shopping, I surprisingly felt good on this run! We went out and back for the whole thing, a little farther toward downtown than we ever have. It was fun for me to get to see more and different hotels and shops! I didn't know that there were two places down Ocean Blvd so close to us that have a Starbucks and Ben & Jerry's right next to each other. I wanted to bike there one night, but that is still on my beach list for next year.

The little things make me so happy, including color coordination. I was so excited about this outfit, Mom knew she was going to have to take my picture before I even asked. Sometimes I feel dumb for asking her to take so many pictures, but it's a little thing that makes me happy. This bathing suit is pretty new; I've only worn it a couple times at the end of last summer, a new pair of sunglasses Mom got me for Easter (sporty, but cute with pink lenses), and a new Simply Southern visor! The bow on it even matches the color of my headband and a stripe of my suit. To complete the "head-to-toe," my toenails are pink! Oh, and the coffee cup has a pink lid and pink beach chair.
Oh shoot. I have been meaning to shorten these up, so I can catch up and do the ones for now...


 New cereal! Found on sale in the pharmacy section at Walgreens! Protein Apple Cinnamon. Tastes just like the Apple Cinnamon Cheerios but has a lot of protein added in! It's also National Egg Day, which I celebrate basically every day. My drink of the day was a new one that I saw in the cooler at Starbucks: Teavana meyer lemon with lime peel and lemongrass. I also got a super cute straw in there with pineapple pictures and candy on it! That made up for the unsweetened and added even more flavor (and coordination with my new drink hugger). Another picture today was inspired by Happiness Is.

Would ya look at these comics? They were right next to each other and convey total opposite meanings when you think about it. It was not intended and both were just for humor (I mean, it is the comics), but that's one thing I love about the funnies section. They do make me laugh, but they also make me think. One here is about family and enjoying a great breakfast, noting its importance to each day, while the other points out that not giving yourself enough to eat is frustrating and does not help you go faster! Like Coach Farmer always told me in high school, you can't run on an empty tank! This kind of stuff is seeping into every media outlet now, but it is good. Our culture has ruined us. Another reason that I hope in Jesus and that one day He will come and relieve us of all the pressure of the world. We can' t totally help the influences around us, but we can fix our eyes and hearts on His truth to help ease the struggles.


Building off of tying Jesus into this, today's Bible study was another thing I am finishing up before starting something new. (I have a bad habit of starting lots of things then not finishing them then getting overwhelmed by having too much going on.) This little devotion book is called NOW: Impacting Your World for Christ Right Now. It was pretty elementary, but it is good to get down to the basics sometimes. That's where we find our salvation and everything else in life to build off of.
I was a little over halfway through, so I picked up on a chapter about changes God brings to our lives. I'm not good with change, so it was fitting. The book began with discussing who we are in Christ and that He has a plan for us. It is important that we have a vision for what we see as God's will for us so that we can have a goal to focus on throughout our days. While our vision may be God-inspired, He may still change it. Personal example, my vision in life all through high school was to be a top runner in the state and region and use that platform to show the love and power and joy of Christ to all those who watch me. It happened! I had some great opportunities to share my faith in interviews online and in newspapers and magazines both small and large-scale; I met hundreds of fellow runners and their families. I impacted people who simply saw me and knew there was something different in me. However, as each season started so well, I fell off and never met the expectations that I set myself up for. That wasn't my plan. But through it all, God still had a plan. I could still share His goodness and strength in my shortcomings and weaknesses. Beyond high school, I had a new vision to go into college running and be a leader on my team and competitive in races, but that vision changed the moment I got on campus. But now, I look back and see that my vision was hindered because God knows everything behind the scenes and in others' hearts and minds that I cannot see. While I thought Lipscomb was the perfect place for me to grow in and share my faith and excel in life, God could see things going on there that were not right for me. Yes, my faith grew so much, but in a totally different way than I had pictured. But when I see it now, I really know God was caring for me every step of the way.
I love to make plans. That's one of the key qualities of me. I love to plan, organize, create, invite, share; I find joy in doing. I like to know what's going on. But do I ever really know what's going on? NO. Over the past two years, I have learned so much about letting go of control of my circumstances. It is a struggle because it is part of who I am, but I am much more at peace with uncertainty. The fast pace and sad state of the world leaves me disappointed and longing for something to trust, but that is where I turn to God. It is very freeing, actually. All I have to worry about is the things I know and can do, and I can trust that God is in control of everything, so it is all the way it is supposed to be. Good thing I'm not in control because I would mess it up! 
James 4:13-15 is an awesome passage on this topic. "...You do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life...instead you ought to say, 'If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.'" 
Being too absorbed in my own plans keeps me from being open to the thins that God brings to me. 
While we cannot help most of the change that happens to us, we can control our response. And that is what matters.

Thursday, June 14, 2018

Shutting it Down Saturday

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Saturday, June 2nd
Second day and going strong! I got up a little earlier, and we went all day long! The run was good, but the wind was strong, slowing Mom and me both down some.

PS, Mom is now addicted to Starbucks Triple Mocha Frappuccino. So if you want to get her anything, this would be the winner. You could also call this a "hack" I guess, not to be trendy, I hate that, but she would get them in the morning and freeze them until afternoon! When I went up to get some food from the room I would bring it down and it was like eating ice cream! For my afternoon treats, I tried lots of new drinks I had bought over time. I need to hydrate, especially running and tanning in the heat and humidity all day every day, so flavor helps me! Today was a Neuro.

My Bible Study for today was tying up some loose ends of an old daily devotion and a Daniel Plan that I had gotten in my email. The last day of the month was the best one and so encouraging to my place in life.
"Keep Improving"
"No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize." 1 Corinthians 9:27.
Not that I haven't heard and read this verse many times, but it means something different in different situations. That's why you can never get enough of the Bible, because God is always at work.
I admit that I am way too hard on myself both physically and mentally. But why do I push myself so hard? Rather than get caught up in the moment, I need to think about the future. Will this small mistake I made (that no one even notices but myself) matter tomorrow? I might spend "5 more minutes" on something, then "5 more" and so on because it's never good enough, but who cares!? I could be missing things or draining energy and motivation for things that God has in store for me here and in the future. If I wear myself out being a perfectionist, I won't have the focus or energy to give to other works, family, friends, and fun. I have a difficult time doing what I need to do now so I can do what I want to do later, but that is something God is teaching me to discipline myself in.

Second was a Daniel Plan devotion titled "Real Life" with the verse in John 10:10 where Jesus says that He has come so that we can have full life. LIFE is found in Him, not in my daily pursuits. I find that when I struggle emotionally, I have gotten caught up in trying to do more than be satisfied in what Jesus has already done. Even before we left for vacation, I had a hard time thinking things like, "What if it rains? What if I can't run as much as I want? What if we don't get to go shop here or there?" I had to remind myself that my joy does not depend on this beach trip. It will be over and done before I can feel like I've been there. Then we will be back home. That was a depressing thought. Not getting to go to the beach last year has made this a huge anticipation in my mom's and my mind, but it is just a thing that will come and go. I will always have Jesus. He has an ongoing plan for my life, and everything else is just details!

For the day on the beach, I read some comics and a part of a book and some word searches. It was a great day on the beach, and by the time we got to the big Coastal Grand Mall and sat for dinner, we were much quieter than we had been. We laughed at ourselves being so tired! We also joke about how "fancy" we eat at the beach; we use gift cards from over the year, and we go cheap! But that's how we enjoy it. We enjoy the beach and simply being there, so we don't have to spend so much money eating out at the places like Margaritaville. Tonight was Chick-fil-a! We hadn't been there in a long time, and it was very satisfying.
 
Mom and I split up to shop since the mall closed at 9, so that way we could do more faster. I looked around more than I bought (which is kind of a good thing!), but I did get some good stuff at GNC! I had a rebate for Optimum Nutrition Cake Bites, which look really good, so I got a few flavors as well as a carrot cake No Cow Bar. (PS, if you are interested in the rebate app I use, I can send you my referral link so we can both get extra points! I love it and currently have around $100 stored up) I also had an American Eagle giftcard from a return from my birthday I think, and I have not been able to get rid of it! I am highly disappointed in the quality of clothes over time. Prices go up, and quality goes down. Not just quality, but also coverage. Why should I pay so much money for clothes that look like they came out of the trash, are paper thin and/or have holes, paint splatter, whatever!? They're ugly. I could go on, but I'll stop. Finally I found some jeggings on the clearance rack to take care of one of the items on my "wish list" and a decent and cute shirt also on sale at Aerie! Before we knew it, the doors were starting to close all around us, and we had to head out. I can't believe how time flies. I used to think we shopped for hours and would run out of places to look. Well, tonight we shut the place down, literally!

On the way out, we heard some thunder and saw lightning off in the distance, but little did we know of the rain that was coming! I got drenched in the parking lot, even though I only had to walk two steps from under the awning... In the hotel, I had seen a brochure paper for a new ice cream and candy shop that was between the mall and the hotel, so Mom took me by! I got some great chocolates from the do-it-yourself section and tried lots of new flavors! For the chocolates, I got dark chocolate covered pretzels, espresso beans, and pomegranates, chocolate coconut almonds! I love the places that aren't so generic. These flavors I got were banana pudding, salted caramel cheesecake, rum raisin, maple nut, white chocolate raspberry truffle, heath yogurt, and peanut butter pretzel! Their to-go containers were so good! The styrofoam kept it cold already, but when I got back to the hotel and opened it, there were Yeti brand paper things on top! All that goodness and care for packaging, and it still wasn't expensive.



Friday, June 8, 2018

National Donut Day and Again with Dad!

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Great discovery that I've had in the past year: I love warm, moist, decorative doughnuts. (Yes, that is also how it is spelled.) Myrtle Beach also has a Krispy Kreme and a Peace, Love, and Little Donuts that I would love to try, but they are farther away, so I'll have to find another time for that.

There were several options around to get free donuts on National Donut Day, but there is a Dunkin just 4 blocks from our hotel, so that is where I went! It was such a simple little thing, but there is something about riding a bike that is so refreshing for me. In a 1 mile, 6 or so minute ride, I had so much fun! I put on a new top from VS Pink and new donut headband from Sweatybands and rode to DD! Adventure activities like this are my favorite.


The donut I got was the "Royal" one, limited time for the royal wedding. It was jelly-filled with chocolate and strawberry icing. Delicious!



Another little thing that made me happy inside was my new-ish (got it in the fall, have maybe worn it once) pineapple shirt! It was my goal to get a picture wearing it with a real pineapple. Two missions accomplished in one day!


Later that night, Mom and I ate dinner at Cracker Barrel with a giftcard she had, so basically for free. We love their fish! Since we were at the beach, I couldn't pass up an opportunity for fish anyways.


After dinner, we went to Marshall's and shopped around way longer than we thought! I got myself some shorts and a couple presents for Father's Day. The last stop was Mom's favorite ice cream spot, Cold Stone. This cup was new flavors for me: mint, chocolate caramel, and peanut butter cookie batter. Cold Stone has all plain flavors with a lot of mix in options, so you can make any creation right there on the spot! I was taking it to go, so I mixed stuff in at the hotel. Day 1 was a success for sure!



For Dad's first day with us, we decided to stay in for dinner to give us all more time on the beach and be ready for the next game of the NBA finals at 8. We usually go out to Ultimate California Pizza at Barefoot Landing one night, but it takes a while. However, they also deliver, so I had the idea that we order it for one of the nights we stay in. After Dad had spent so much time sitting in the car driving here (although he drives pretty fast to get here), he felt the need to loosen up, and I had the craving for some more donuts! Solution! Bike to Dunkin! This was not only a solution for both of us, but it was also a fun way to spend a little time together and pass the time waiting on the dinner delivery. When I was younger, we used to do Dunkin runs/bikes/trips more often, leaving from my house and finishing at DD. Then Mom or someone would come pick us up. While it only took about 3-5 minutes to get there, it was still fun. I got some jelly-filled munchkins this time since they didn't have the chocolate strawberry ones anymore. Dad got a cookie and a brownie.

 After we got back, I showered and finished up just as the delivery guy got to the door! Mom and Dad split a pizza and I got some mango habanero wings! Mom is addicted to Little Caesar's at home, but she admits that Ultimate California is way better. I also agree. I like getting to make my own pizza there, but tonight I went for wings! They were also the best of any place I've ordered wings. What made it even better was that I could get them boneless. Less mess, more meat. We enjoyed our dinner while watching Big Bang Theory, then we had our dessert during the game. Warriors are heading for a sweep! (At least we hope).