My Last Back to High School-August is Gone Already?

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I know it's not the start of school anymore, or the end of August, but October is already here!  That shows you what school does to me.  There is little free time to do this, but I upload pictures to add details to later!

Dual-enrollment is a blessing in SO many ways. I don't have to put up with the morning traffic. Our road situation around school is chaos as it is, but the beginning of school is so many times worse. This line of cars extended nearly a mile. That is not an exaggeration; I've run it with my gps watch.

Mom moved around her office to a new position, and it had her staying out super late the first couple weeks leaving Dad and me on our own for dinner. I really enjoyed cooking for myself a lot though! This meal here is sweet potato with the sweet spices, peas, beets, chia seeds, and fish on top with some seasonings.
I have also been eating tons of hamburgers this year!  Mom likes huge white buns, but I like wheat and just enough to cover the size of the patty, so I usually just use bread.  My burger trimmings: spinach, pickles, ketchup, mustard, sliced beets, red pepper flakes, jalapenos, onion, chili powder are pictured on this one, but I also use other things when we have them on hand.  Those include tomato, collard greens, tater tots when mom makes them, and many other things I can get creative with!

Back to school means I get to create binder covers and stuff!  I love having the opportunities to express myself!  These are some of my favorite pictures of quotes, thoughts, and fun times from the summer and two verses that I had recently found especially encouraging.

As seniors, we go back and forth from the typical "senioritis" outfits of tshirts and sweats when we aren't feeling it, but we get the urge to dress up sometimes, too.  We didn't plan to all three be dressy this day, but since we did, and we're seniors, we had to commemorate it.  We are determined to make this the best year yet.  In my opinion, it's a success so far.  I love this picture of my two best friends and me, but I love them and their friendship more.

I'm not a big selfie-snapper, but I have taken some lately, again to help me commemorate!  Mom also never gets to see me until I get home after cross country, so she enjoys it when I send her pictures during the day.  I also enjoy color coordination, ya know!  Especially my green and purple up there, all the way to the eye shadow.

The first couple weeks, they don't have everything together at school (But do they ever?), so peer tutors get pushed to the backburner.  I'm okay with that though; it gave me more time to work before class started!  Katlyn and I both have peer tutoring and dual enrollment, so we got to hang out in the library until our classes got assigned. 

I love how The Feed has so many deals!  Their marketing ideas really work on me.  When there is something free, it encourages me to buy something.  You don't always have to make a purchase to get their free stuff, but I usually do anyways.  Mom is also more willing to buy things online when I have special promotions.

The photo on the right features some of my recent purchases, the favorites being the waffle and wafels!   What I like about them:  taste, (obviously); fancy brands (I love exploring new things); originally from a different country? (cool); "slopeside" (skiing is my hobby); can you really go wrong with dark chocolate, maple, or a waffle?  (NO)

 

Everything on the right cost me $0.00.  Yep.  A Camelbak, Bonk Breaker Chews, and two bars all for zero dollars.  If I had bought these in a store somewhere, the free stuff would have been more than the items I paid for here.

I love being on the yearbook staff.  It gives me even more chances to prepare for my future, be involved with the school and community, and be around people and things that I love.

Here are some things that could fall into the #KenziesCreations category.

As the caption says, "homemade 'ice cream'" that I blend up from various combinations of protein powders, milk cubes, pudding, yogurt, fruit to pack an extra punch to my desserts

A new fresh fruit I decided to try-papaya.  I had no idea they looked like this.  Tip:  don't eat the peel.  It is disgusting!

Remember my post about my cross country girls all being beans?  Well, I love beans.  Double entendre intended.  Twice.  I also eat beans on a daily basis.

There's another bowl with some things I love to eat.  More beans!  Boiled cabbage has also been added to my list of favorites.

On the right is actually not a homemade meal, but from Akita!  Shrimp, chicken, broccoli, Sriracha, and some hot sauce that accidentally lit my mouth on fire.  If I say it's hot, you know it's hot.

 
I've tried many new food items during this time, but these are the only two that I had uploaded pictures for, so I'll share them!  Edy's is one of my top grocery store ice cream brands, and I recently decided to give French Silk a try!  It has a great chocolate and kinda-coffee flavor, as well as vanilla, and dark chocolate chunks!
Target is where I found the 18 Rabbits granola.  The brand is cute and healthy, and especially tasty!  Another reason I like it-they do good.  Every purchase helps feed hungry children.

 

 

 

Cracker Barrel is a great place to shop for holiday and unique gifts!  They got the fall stuff out just in time for my traveling to start, so luckily I'll get to browse the store more often.  Snoopy had a section on the shelves, too!

They also have lots of coffee mugs, and these caught my eye, immediately followed by my heart...and a few dollars!  I was actually super surprised that the Halloween mugs were so cheap, so I couldn't pass it up.  I also didn't have any Halloween mugs yet, so it was a great purchase in my opinion.  I got the Frankenstein monster!

We usually go to El Sazon for all of our family meals out now, but occasionally we do Cracker Barrel, too!

When we went to Waterville for our team picnic, I accidentally wore the exact same outfit that I wore a couple years ago.  I staged the picture on the right, though, so I could laugh at myself.  That's what happens when you're me!  You never grow out of your clothes!

(Yes I am aware that I am wearing half tights this year, but I was wearing the short pink spandex before I changed into drier clothes.)

My mom loves Chick-fil-a's new frosted lemonades, so I took her one to work one day!  Since she had been staying so late working hard with basically no time to even snack, I felt that was not good, and brought her a treat...and a glimpse of me to brighten her day!  Haha..I also sent her this picture one morning hoping that she would smile a little more.

What a wonderful flavor coordination for National Potato Day!  Sweet potato cranberry cookies, sweet potato cereal, sweet potato oatmeal raisin cookies, and a real sweet potato, of course!

 Simple cookies and ice cream (or frozen yogurt or pudding) are a great combination for a protein dessert after a long day!  Especially if it's a Lenny and Larry's cookie.

 

My Panther Creek races are now over!  I am actually sad.  Yes, it's the toughest course, but I love it.  We almost always have hot, sunny, weather, and it just feels so good to race here at "home."  I will miss this place.  This is a timehop collage from some good memories from previous years. 

Feeling free crossing that finish

Quintin and me both holding the course record

Emily and me being goofy with our new pink shirts

This post will start and end with cars!  I didn't plan it that way, but that's what happened.  DoSomething.org is a new site that I've become involved with lately, joining in some of their campaigns to share with others to make a difference in this world.  This one on the left is for no texting and driving.  If you wear thumb socks, you can't text.  And they look cute.  (I actually don't wear them, but they sit in my room as a reminder.  Practice what you preach!)

 

Some great window stickers! 

Some of my favorite things:  traveling, moose, Colorado, and Peanuts

This one made me smile so much!  I sent it to Katlyn because of her pet chickens.  The bottom one also brought a smile to our faces because it is such a simple and sweet reminder to chill out because God has His plan.

This is what it's all about!

Live a life that can be a light to anyone who sees you!  Like this for example.  I have no idea who these people are, besides they were parked near me.  However, they put a bright spot of encouragement in my day, and they weren't even there. 

You never know who, where, or how you may impact someone's life.

 

 

 

 

The Final Countdown--Junior Year Addition

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After Spring Break, mom always makes a countdown calendar to mark off the days left until we are out for summer.  This year, I don't know who was ready for summer more, mom or me.  I've always heard that junior year is the worst, but at first I didn't believe it.  Then second semester came.  Changed my mind.  It was true for me, too.

 

Looking back, yeah it was really rough, but there's always diamonds in the rough.  If not diamonds, maybe a shiny rock or two.

You gotta take the best of what life gives you.

It's always good when a day starts with poop, right?

 

These are some great pictures that I found from a race we ran at Dobyns-Bennett!  The first couple days after a race, I always look forward to going online and looking at all the pictures people have posted.

On my way to a 3200 victory...with an untied shoe.
Chantal, Cherie, and I have come together to create some epic pictures this year in xc and track.

Chemistry got tough at times, but my teacher was what kept me going!  I was so thankful to have Mrs. Heflin to keep us entertained while teaching us what we needed to know, too.  This lab wasn't really that educational, but the rest of them were.  We roasted smores on bunson burners, so that's still a chemical reaction!

 

Timehop makes me happy.
So does my doggie.

This is kinda my usual pumpkin oatmeal stuff, but no pumpkin.  I woke up to find that the pumpkin was moldy. But it was race day, so I had to improvise!  Carrots were close enough.  Not bad either.

Selfie with a fish on shopping trip after a track meet.

Yes, I asked a stranger in the bathroom at Bass Pro Shops if I could take a picture of her shirt.

 

 

It makes me happy to see people I know (and people that I don't know) out running while I'm driving around town.  Here's Michael on the left and Mrs. Bowen on the right.  These were a few days apart, but at the same place!
Have no fear; I was stopped at a red light.

Track buses are too much.

Friday night lights
Late night 3200 at Dobyns-Bennet was worth it.  It was past my bedtime before we even started, but under those lights, running feels like flying.
Getting to do things like this may be stressful, take my sleep, make me sore, and so much more, but moments like this, looking out at an almost empty track because it is so late make me think about how much of a blessing it is to get to do this thing that so few people get to do.  For most, running (especially fast) is a "have to."  For me, it's a "want to" and a "get to."

Between D-B and Morristown, especially at 11:30 at night, there is not much to pick from.  Sonic came to the rescue being open until 2am, so we grabbed sandwiches and me a blast on the way home.  It was late, but I also had an early morning ahead...see below...

After getting in bed after 1:00am, I had to wake up extra early to go to school to take the ACT.  It made it not so bad, though, since I got to see one of my friends from church in my testing room!

Some fancy flapjacks
caramel banana

Sub-deb meeting:  to dress up or nah?
When meetings are in the middle of Sunday afternoons, the few people who come come wearing whatever is convienient.

Excuse my selfie, but I was excited about my hair and stuff.

Munk Packs are an awesome, tasty, healthy, portable snack that I found on The Feed and have tried a couple flavors!  It's like fruit and oatmeal in a squeeze pack.  It may sound weird, but it is delicious!  One of their main things they focus on these products is that they can be taken on any adventure the day may lead you to!

With Chemistry and AP tests studying overload, I was sick of it.  My toenails also hadn't been painted since Christmas, so since it had gotten to be flip flop wearing time, my toenails kinda ruined it.  Mom came to the rescue one night and painted them for me!
Just like the good ole days when I was a little tot.  Only now, my feet are the definition of runner's feet.

Being on the yearbook staff saved my life sometimes this year.  It was a fun addition to each day because I love pictures, and it also gave me time to do other things at the beginning of the year and after the book was submitted.  One day I had a doctor's appointment right after school, so I got to go out to the track and do it during 4th block!  The speed workout actually went by pretty fast out there by myself.  Accept for the construction crew building the freshman academy.  Shoutout to them for letting me use their porta potty. 

20x200.  I had to wear two watches to have a rolling time to know every 2 minutes and the other for a stop and start on the 200 each I ran.

An even bigger blessing came from this opportunity.  The longer I was out there, the windier it got and the darker the sky looked.  On the last few reps, sprinkles began to fall.  By the time I finished my cool down, it had turned into a drizzle.  The team was just coming out to stretch.  Leaving the school parking lot, it started pouring.  Down the road, lightning and thunder.  A few minutes later, sunshine and hail, big hail!  And yes, sunshine and hail are in the same sentence because they occured at the same time.  This crazy weather pattern continued for about an hour.  The team ended up not even getting to do any of the workout!  Not only was I thankful to have gotten the whole thing done--in dry weather--I got done early, too!

One of my friend/teammates Emily took this picture as the sun was setting at one of our home track meets.  Pink skies are just another peaceful picture from the Lord.

 

Hey look, it's another Lord!
One Sunday, Jessica and I did a run from my house to Ingles, just about 3 miles, to give us a chance to recover our legs a bit and our minds.  We had a fun time just talking while we ran!  I'm thankful to have fun friends who are there to just hear me out and I can listen to them, too!  Her sister Emily met us there, and we got some fruit off the salad bar and drinks from Starbucks!

Being common white girls.
Whenever I post something cliche, it's usually mocking it.

I wanted to do a little something to put a bright spot in some other people's day (hopefully), so we decorated some sticky notes with Bible verses and such and stuck them around places in the store!  We also shared stuff and prayed with each other.

Jessica wrote this one, and it was perfect!  There were 3 of us!

The social club I am in, Sub Debs, has a hell week for the pledges (freshmen) each year.  Now as an upperclassman, I look forward to it because one of the parts of hell week is gifts!  Every day, each pledge has a couple upperclassmen girls to call and ask them for something they want.  I got free snacks or a drink every day!  This is Emily in her outfit for the week and the cookies and drink she got me.  She was a real trooper!

The past two years, the cross country team has been invited to the Citizen Tribune Hall of Fame banquet where we get to eat some delicious food, socialize, dress up, and get recognized.  This year, there was a different part of the night that made it so great.  The guest speaker was Nick Reviez who played football at UT and professionally.  His testimony was amazing.  I can't explain how much it related to my life.  God knew that I really needed to hear that from someone else other than just His Word.

During the earlier parts of his football life, he had a thought that filled his mind quite often, "What if I fail?"  He put a lot of pressure on himself.  I did and thought the exact same things.
There were all these things he worried about--college, scholarships, etc--just as I was stressed over, too.  But he said, "I need to stop worrying about all these things that I wasn't created to worry about.  I was made to be faithful with today, to trust Him."  It was like he was telling me to stop worrying about all my worries!  I was given my gifts as a runner to bring Him glory, not to stress over.  I don't need to fear failing or losing running; it's just a race.  When I make it more than that to bring myself glory, God disciples me to get my focus back.
Another thing he hit on was control.  He said, "I've got no control at the end of the day.  God's in control of everything."  I like to make things happen my way, but that's not a good mindset to have.  It's always God's way.
Finally, he ended with how using what we've been given to bring God glory brings us pure joy.  Joy joy joy!  I feel like we were the same person, just two different ages, sports, and genders.  I just hope to be able to share how God has worked in my heart like Nick did.
I was so excited down in my heart that I had to go talk to him and take a picture with him afterwards.
A couple verses he referenced:  Isaiah 40:6-8 and Matthew 6:33
I'm sure you can find all kinds of information on him if you just pop his name in that Google search box, but here is a video of his testimony.

Another pancake:  dark chocolate

The pastel M&Ms were a nice change up to see

 This comic is true in a couple different ways.  Many kids see school as a prison, myself included at times.  The location of my school makes it basically like prison, too, because we are smack-dab in the middle of the projects.  It is a sketchy area.  Morristown West keeps us on our toes.

 

 

So there's what I had saved from spring break to May!
Basically lots of footsteps, faith, food, and school with a little bit of friends and fun in there, too!