Friday Fix

I have not had much time to blog at all lately, but I am currently in the back if a car, in the dark, which makes it difficult to study, so my phone' battery is getting drained! Even though I haven't been posting on my blog, I've still been posting a lot to my other social medias. Each day, I've had a little slogan to share with others and help me stay focused on god more each day. Today has been a busy, stressful day, but the way to get through it is by fixing eyes and thoughts on Jesus!  God just sent all this to my mind when I really didn't know what to post for today yet, so I really wanted to go ahead and share it now!

Friday Faith, Fuel, Fitness, Funnies

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So here is another Friday post that is just now being updated.  Only a little over a week late, though, instead of over two this time!  I added some things along the way, too.

What to do when you have some almond butter left and want to finish it so you can buy a new kind?  Do you also have bananas that are on their way to going bad soon?  Well, I did.  For a Sunday post-church, pre-run lunch, I mushed up a banana in my almond butter and microwaved it and mixed it:  rich, warm, and yuuuummmm...

Coach Rita from Furman University Cross Country tweeted this list of Coach John Wooden's favorite sayings for athletes (and just people).

I found another blog post that lists way more than the above picture, but I advise you to check it out!  They're simple and encouraging!

Yeah, it's been really humid around here lately.  I really love the heat, though!  There were times that it said 100%, but I missed the screenshot.

These post-run pancakes were peanut banana with a peanut butter glaze.  The nuts in the batter added a nice crunch!

Pancake:  whole wheat batter, chopped peanuts, mushed banana, water

Glaze:  Bee's Knees Peanut Butter, honey, sugarfree syrup; microwaved and drizzled

Reading my Snoopy daily calendar is something I look forward to every day.

These are another new pancake flavor:  Dark Chocolate Coconut!

Pancake:  Special K Dark Chocolate Protein Shake, whole wheat batter, shredded coconut, coconut extract, water

Topped with honey, sugar free syrup, and coconut

I won't waste my typing and your reading of my pumpkin pancakes, because I've already talked about them a lot, but I have made one change:  instead of Linwood's ground mix stuff, I am using pumpkin seeds.  (I ran out of the other, and I actually like using the seeds more!  They are so healthy, too, but also add a little crunch!)  I also had 3 egg whites this meal to add some extra protein!

Since I finished my almond butter, I was free to get a new kind!  I had seen this grinder at Ingles a while ago and have really been wanting to fix my own.  So a few days ago, I grabbed a container, flipped the switch, and here it is!

The Funnies:

I love the comics that relate to my life so well.

I used to do this at TCBY all the time.  Whenever they would have a froyo flavor I wanted, I would grab up a bowl of snacks and cereals and various things from the kitchen and take it there to get them to put it in a shiver.

With global warming (if it's real?) is heating things up, yeah, we might could cook outside.  People also would wear less clothing!  Ahhh! 

Yes.  If my friends saw this, they would ABSOLUTELY agree.  My desserts do pile sky-high.

This one is a picture of my mom and me.  Can you guess who is who?

We both love our cereal!  I love anything healthy and whole grain.  Mom does eat whole grain cereals, but it is because she says she can't taste the whole grain; she just likes the cereal.  If it's not cereal, but contains something "healthy," she won't touch it.

Finally Home Friday! (Food, Fitness, Farmers' Market, Faith, Funnies)

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This is Friday as in Friday, July 18th.

Oops!  I got confused by all my drafts and got out of order on publishing my updated/complete posts!  This one should have come out after Cross Country Camp.

Anyways, I got up to a drizzle of rain, but continued on with my plans.  I left home around 9:00 to run to yoga.  A teammate came by my house to pick up my yoga mat, dry clothes, and a snack to take there for me.  (She lives in my neighborhood; I'm not that mean!)  By the time I got started, the rain was very light and completely stopped by a mile into the run.  I ended up with time left when I reached downtown, so I went back and forth on the nearby blocks until I reached a good distance to stop at before heading in.

The Friday morning after we get home from camp, we get to go to yoga!  Most people think it's really hard, but it is fun, challenging, and really helps loosen us up.  The past two summers, we have gone to The Main Loft in downtown Morristown.  I really like this place and plan on attending some of their other classes when I get a chance!

I don't know about everybody else, but after taking this class for almost 2 hours, I felt amazing.

The wall-length mirror is really nice.  You can see yourself, and the instructor better and from different angles, which helps if you are struggling to pull off a pose.

On the way home, Mom and I stopped by one of my favorite summertime places: the farmers' market!  I love fresh fruit and vegetables, and I always feel better eating local ones.  It makes me happy to taste the freshness and be helping out local farmers!

 

 

I had to take a picture of this man sleeping on the job.  Welcome to Morristown.  He had lots of help down in the stands, though.

When I got home from all this activity, it was around 1:00, and I was needing some hefty refuel, so I whipped up a new batch of pancakes!  These were almond butter banana with an almond butter banana glaze.  It may sound too complicated, but it is really simple.

Pancake:  whole wheat batter, mushed banana, almond butter, water

Glaze:  mushed banana, almond butter, honey, sugar free syrup; microwaved and drizzled on top

These pancakes were so fluffy and moist and possibly the best ones I've ever made!  Banana in breads and things like that really make them better, I have noticed lately.

That night, I made another thing that has become one of my favorites:  roasted vegetables!  My favorite ones to do are sweet potatoes, onion, zucchini, and squash.  I also add lots of spices and drizzle some water for it all to soak up so they don't dry up in the oven.

I screenshotted this photo off of Carrots N Cake's Instagram because it is a very accurate pun!

Here's a final little faith/funny to end this Friday (from two weeks ago) post.

From the wonderful Sermon on the Mount in Matthew, Jesus says in chapter 5 verses 44-45, "I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you , that you may be children of your Father in heaven."

Friday Faith, Funnies, Fitness, and Fuel

Follow @makenzie_jones

Sara Hall's blog post from February 4th.

Just this week I got to scroll through and view some of the blogs on my "reading list."  I had been so busy, I hadn't looked at any since Christmas Break.  We're over halfway to Christmas again now.

I really enjoyed this post, because it described me quite accurately!  (Not that I am a professional athlete, but personality-wise)  I am achievement-motivated, like Sara, and am always go-go-going looking for something to do.  (It's not hard for me to find things to do)  I also hate sitting around and doing nothing.  Breaks are tough for me; I'm always looking for the next big challenge.  To be so achievement-motivated, you also have to be able to give yourself grace when you fail.  That's tough because, hello, we want to achieve!  However, God has plans for us, and we fail Him everyday, yet He continuously gives us grace and more opportunities to do for Him.  I can't only be worried about achieving my worldly goals, but I must worry much more about working toward the challenges that God puts before me!

If you ever think you are bored and have nothing to do, think again.  Actually, pray.  Ask God to show you and motivate you with His Spirit to get out there and do what He wants you to do today.  I promise God has something wonderful in store for you and me.  He will never let you get bored--you let you get bored.

I was so excited to hear on Monday that I was the winner of a free pack of grilled nuggets from Chick-fil-a!  I love those things!  Chick-fil-a is also one of my favorite places.  I had forgotten a while back that they would give away to so many customers who commented on a status about how they love to enjoy the new grilled chicken items, and I did, not expecting to win anything (how often do you actually win contests you enter?  Yeah, that's what I said.), so I totally forgot about it until I saw an email notification that my friend's mom had tagged me in a post.  I'm so glad she did, because I hardly ever check my Facebook unless I have a specific purpose, so I never would have seen it.  I can get them on Saturday, so it's almost grilled nugget time!

I enjoy looking at the comics each day, because some of them really get me.  I also make lots of collages of my favorite things, and comics is one of them!  Some of these are hard to read on here, but they make me laugh because of how well they relate to my life!

My favorites to read are Garfield (which is no longer in our paper, so I have to find it online), Family Circus, Bizzarro, Pickles, Rhymes with Orange, For Better or For Worse, Peanuts (of course), Arlo & Janis, Dennis the Menace, Zits, Frazz, Non Sequitur, Baby Blues, Mutts, and Crankshaft.

I don't enjoy the really wordy ones they go through long stories.  I like to just read a bit and laugh!

Each month, I get the joy of flipping my calendar and seeing the new Peanuts page!  Then I get to search out a Bible verse that goes along with it.

Love is looking out for your friends.

As Christians, we are here to help keep or brothers and sisters in Christ accountable.

"Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently...Carry each others burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ...Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people..."

Galatians 6:1-2,10

 

Now for the fuel section!

This is a heavy duty protein bar that I took to the lake with me on Tuesday for after I skied; I knew I would need something because dinner was going to be late, and this has been a tough training week!  I found these on sale at Ingles, so I grabbed a couple.  They are Think Thin Chocolate Espresso.  230 calories, 20 grams of protein!  Good for when you need something above basic.

The past couple mornings, I've been munching on pumpkin-and-honey-topped apple cinnamon bread after my runs.

At Ingles one day, I got (probably way too) excited over this new creamer.  How could I not, though?  Caramel flavored things are good, but marshamallow?  That's my favorite!

Since I am about to leave for two weeks, minus a day inbetween, I am trying to finish up random foods around the house that would go bad while I'm gone, because no one else in my house will eat them.  A couple days I fixed a spinach, argula, cucumber, and strawberry salad.  I also had some of a dark chocolate Special K protein shake leftover from pancakes one day last week, so I added some milk to it and had some peanut butter cheerios (now like Reese's!) with dessert one night.  I had also been making homemade pasta sauce with some of my veggies at home, but the picture has disappeared from this page!  It was green if that helps give you a visual.

 

Hopefully, I can start doing some more weekly things like this!  I'm enjoying it, even if no one else is.  I'm praying for safety this July 4th weekend!

 

 

Trojan Train

Every Friday of a football game, a big group of kids meet together in a parking lot in town to do what we call the "Trojan Train."  This was the morning of our Jamboree for our conference, also the first time we did this for the school year. I must say that was the best participation I have ever seen!  This is the truck I rode in.  One of my lifelong best friends drove her Papaw's truck so that the senior cheerleaders, a few friends, and the WAOS (Women Ambassadors Of Spirit) could have a great ride!  In front was the AOS (guys) followed by the guys Street Team, then us, then the girls Street Team. Everyone else who came followed behind. We have outfits, painted faces, flags, hazard lights blinking, horns blowing, and people dancing and yelling out the cars driving to school!  (We are followed by a policeman so it's okay!)  We all think it is hilarious to see the looks on the faces of the freshmen's parents who dont know what we are doing. This was my best arrival to school and got me and everyone else so pumped for the things to come this year!  I'm so thankful to have such a supportive Trojan Nation!