Last Friday of Break

I am very sad to say that today is my last real day of break.  Yes, I still have the weekend, but I would usually be off from school those days.

However, I am determined to live it up while I can!

Two verses that I decorated my AP government and politics binder for next semester with go great with that mindset.

"Be happy, young one, while you are young, and let your heart give you joy..."  Eccelesiates 11:9

"Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.  Let your conversation always be full of grace..."  Colossians 4:5-6

This afternoon, Mom took me to "The Corner of Happy and Healthy" to get my flu shot.  I love the Band-Aid.

I have been trying to get rid of leftover and close-to-expiring foods, so today I made this smoothie as a late-afternoon snack before going out to dinner at Akita.  It has milk, lots and lots of grapes, a banana, a little frozen mixed fruit, and protein powder.  The grapes were the new thing I tried adding, and I will definitely have to remember that; it was fantastic!

After dinner, Mom wanted to go to TJMaxx, since we were so close.  I love going in there.  The items in stock are forever-changing, and there are a ton of things you may not find anywhere else (and not any cheaper for that matter).  This is an organic granola that I thought looked awesome; I mean, how can you go wrong with carrot cake?  I was right, it is amazingly tasty.  I came right home and ate it with some frozen yogurt and greek yogurt, which is shown mixed up below.  It has carrot, pineapple, granola of course, pecans, raisins, and a few other things that aren't obvious to me right now.  I just love getting new, healthy foods to try!

What a Rainy Day...

For the second day in a row, I was woken up by my cat, Sophie,  That's okay, though, because I needed to get up and get going!  I finished my workout around noon, and fixed this omelette for brunch!

I need some work on my omelette-making, but I wanted to try today to work out some things to improve on.  I will use the smaller skillet instead of the large next time, and I will use less filling.  Then it should go together better instead of spilling out all sides.

My filling here is:

hummus

goat cheese

red bell pepper

jalepenos

onion

turkey sausage

mustard

salsa

spinach

celery

black pepper, dill mix, and cilantro

One thing I was really looking forward to doing over break is having more time to study my Bible!  I have, though not as much as I would like (you can never get enough of God's Word!).  This devotion book has one for each day, staring with January 1st.  It was a birthday gift to me from my friend Abby Mitchell (so many Abby's!), and I started it with the new year!  I think it will be a great challenge to me, because it has deeper language used, like the King James Version, but I am always up for growing in my knowledge of the Lord!  Since I am still using birthday gifts, this could go great with my "Putting My Birthday Presents to Good Use" post.

There is also a daily, online version of My Utmost for His Highest.

"The old has gone; the new has come!" 2 Cor 5:17

"If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.  The old has gone; the new has come!"

  2 Corinthians 5:17

Although I'm not big on changing a whole bunch just for New Years (because any moment is a God-given opportunity to change), I thought this would be a great verse for the new year!  When you accept Christ into your heart, He makes you completely new.

This has been the best Christmas break I have ever had, and New Years also lived up to the standard!  On December 31st, I got to do something I have been wanting to do for over a year; I had a pancake party!  I texted 3 of my best running friends the day before to ask if they wanted to go for a run then have pancakes, so they headed over!  (Katlyn was getting over a cold, so she didn't run, but she met us for breakfast.)  Chantal, Cherie (who live within walking distance), and I ran down the highway towards town and back for around 7.6 miles.

Here we all are in our new shoes!  (and black tights.  We didn't even plan that.)

Mine are on the left, Chantal on top, Cherie right, Katlyn bottom.  Part of my shoe actually glows in the dark, but I haven't gotten to try it out yet.

My new griddle!  This is one of my Christmas gifts.  I made us each 2 big pancakes.  Chantal, Cherie, and I had Recees Pieces pancakes topped with peanut butter (I also had honey and sugar free syrup), and Katlyn chose York Pieces pancakes.  I love this griddle, because it is big, fast, and easy to clean.

Here we are about to dig in!

I am so blessed to have these girls.  Every time we get together, we have so many laughs, encouragement, and uplifting feelings!  These are girls that I can trust, and we can help each other grow in our faith.  When I'm with them, I have no worries or bad feelings about what I'm doing.  It is so important to have friends like this in your life to help keep you on track!

At my house, it has become "tradition" in a way over the past few years that when the cross country girls meet for food at my house (for example, my birthday), in our pictures for making memories, we always do a silly one with food in our mouths!

On New Years Eve, my friends the Wolfenbargers always invite us to party with them.  The party is either at their house or another house in their neighborhood, the Paxton's (which is where it was this year).  Daniel Paxton, the man of that house, is one funny man!  This is one of my long-time best friends, Noah.

This game, The Game of Things, is what we spent most of our time between our late eating "dinnerish" and desserts and the ball drop doing.  It is similar to Apples to Apples in that their is a reader who announces the category, then the everyone submits a corresponding response.  However, this game gets funnier, because the responses aren't already provided, but you write in your own!  We got many laughs out of this for sure!

After being up until around 1:30 the night before, on New Years Day I slept until 11:00, when Sophie came in and wanted to cuddle (more for her satisfaction than mine, obviously from all her purrrring).  Once I finally got up and did some core workouts, Dad and I went to the park for a run.  Dad doesn't usually like to run there because of the uneven surface and falling and ankle-spraining hazard, so it is a special occasion when he goes with me, even though he unfortunately can't keep up anymore since I have been in high school.

It was a gorgeous, sunny day, and not too cold either, especially in the sun!  I got in a nice, long run, while Dad's was a bit shorter.  It was fun getting back out to the park since I have been out of the habit since cross country ended.

By the time I got home, stretched, and ready to eat "breakfast," it was after 2:00!  I had some pumpkin and cream cheese-topped waffles and an apple then got to work.  I am still celebrating Christmas, so I watched Christmas Vacation while I worked on putting everything onto my new 2014 calendar!  

Since last year, I have gotten the Peanuts "Love is..." calendar.  This is another one of my Christmas presents!  It has a sweet saying and picture for each month, and it also comes with stickers to correspond with various events throughout the year.  This is the January picture!

"Not I, But the Grace of God.."

A few weeks ago, I got a message from my coach saying that our top 5 girls need to be at the Knox News Sentinel between such and such times on that Wednesday for pictures.  "Makenzie needs to be there at 5:45 and wear her shoes and uniform for runner of the year photos."  Well I was totally confused.  This whole thing went right over my head.

  First off, I thought it was that day (Monday), and I could not figure out why I was the only one who needed shoes and a uniform and a specific time either.  So here I was, at home by myself, calling to no avail my parents that would not answer.  I was freaking out because I thought that we had to leave for Knoxville in the next few minutes, but no one was going to be home to leave.  So a few minutes later I went back and very carefully re-read the message from Coach Farmer.  Oh.  "Thank goodness; it's Wednesday, not today," I thought.  "OH MY! WHAT? OH MAN! OH MAN!" was about all the words that would come out.  Yeah, that said runner of the year.  I finally realized that I had been chosen for the PrepXtra Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year by the Knoxville News Sentinel, the main East Tennessee newspaper.

 

I remember being younger, just really getting into running, my dad would show me these guys and girls selected for this, and I would think, "Whoa, that would be the coolest thing!  These people are awesome!"  I never would have thought it would be me.  That's kinda why it took me so long to figure out what was going on when Farmer just flat-out told me.  I have always admired runners who receive awards like this and many others.

 

I knew this season was a blessing; more things happened than I would have ever imagined possible.  Winning a state championship by a very wide margin, for example.

 

God set all these things into action for one purpose, His purpose.  I always pray a lot for God to take my life and use me in whatever ways He sees fit for His glory.  He has presented so many opportunities for our team to be in situations for others to see Him working through us.  "Nothing is impossible with God."  (Luke 1:37)  We worked so hard all season with the goal of a championship on our mind, pushing us forward from race to race.  More importantly than everything, we had faith in God that He would prepare us for whatever we may be challenged with.  Yes, there were painful days, sickness and soreness, defeats in races, and competition within the team.  All of that made us stronger.  I believe that God brought the girls, families, and coaches of our team together to encourage each other to be bold in sharing what we are here for.  We have been given talents by God and for God.  We must "give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for [us] in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:18

 

I cannot find words to say how blessed I am to have this opportunity to share with so many others how God gives so much strength, rewards the faithful, and is just flat-out good and loving.

It's not me; it's Him at work.

 

Like I had said earlier in the season, one of my all-time favorite Bible verses of this season is

1 Corinthians 15:10, "By the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace to me was not without effect.  No, I worked hard...yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me."

That's why I titled this post with part of that verse.  It just means so much to me and is a daily reminder of why God's word tells us to be humble.  "Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; ²⁰ you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies."  1 Corinthians 6:19-20.  I am not my own.  Another way to  put the verse above (Luke 1:37)--without God, I can do nothing.  “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in Me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing."  John 15:5

There is a piece of the article on my school system's Facebook page, and the whole thing is in the Knox News Sentinel.

My coach, Raymond Farmer, was also one of the two selected for Coach of the Year.

 

(The other 4 girls from our team were on the PrepXtra first team.  They got an individual picture taken and placed in the sports section with around 10 other girls from the area.  That Wednesday, I did the same photo and went to the pro photographer for the pictured-above shoot.)

New Protein Bar Treat

This is one of my favorite brands of all protein bars.  Luna is by the same group as Clif Bars, just made especially for women.

This is a brand new flavor, Carrot Cake!  It is more like eating dessert than a protein bar!  It is sweet and satisfying, with icing on the bottom, and the bar is filled with grains, nuts, cinnamon, and raisins!

I often do eat protein bars for dessert with frozen and regular yogurts.  It's a great sweet treat!

A Typical Day of my Christmas Break

These are the days that I think of as a stereotypical Christmas Break day for me.  Sleeping in, exercise, a nice breakfast, computer time, playing Wii, reading, and dinner.

Yesterday was just that!  Except we went to Walmart, too.



After I did a morning workout, I got to try out one of my new Christmas presents, a griddle!  I'd been asking for one for a while, so that I could have friends over and make us a bunch of pancakes and maybe even eggs.  These were some more pumpkin ones.  I had one lonely Kashi waffle left in the freezer, so I also added the toppings to it and ate it, too.  Pumpkin, pumpkin butter, spices, honey, and sugar free syrup are just the right toppings.

I found this at Walmart, and it is so tasty!  Just the right balance of eggnog and vanilla to make it not-too-strong, but right to my taste.  Healthier, too!

I got the Just Dance for Christmas and bought the Zumba the previous day at Target.  I love these dancing games, because I enjoy having fun while exercising, so dancing is the fun.  This is how I pass extra afternoon time I have before dinner on breaks from school. 

I put my new eggnog drink to good use after dinner!  I made my own vanilla eggnog protein shake using the eggnog of course, vanilla extract, protein powder, vanilla almond milk, vanilla bean frozen yogurt, and boston cream pie yogurt, adding in some cinnamon and nutmeg.  Delish!

This is the next book I have started reading after I finished Jantsen's Gift by Pam Cope. This is the book I bought and got autographed at the concert a little over a month ago.  A fairly different story, it is still hitting me hard!  I love reading about true life stories.  Jeremy came from a background that you would not expect.  His faith in God is so amazing and admirable, and the way he trusts God through struggles and the unknown is so inspiring.  He really has put to use the gifts that God blessed him with.  His love for others and his wife is also something to take note of.  This is the kind of man I want for my husband.  Jeremy is a fantastic role model for all men out there!  Hearing his story and knowledge of God really hits my heart, and I believe it will yours, too.

Shopping Day with Mom

On the Friday after Christmas, Mom and I went to Knoxville to shop.  Last year we also went on December 27th, so I told Mom that we should make this another tradition.  I really enjoy the days that we spend shopping together!  Occasionally, shopping brings us to arguments because we have such different styles, but we have been doing good lately!

 

Our first stop was at a store where I could spend all my money, and this is no joke.  There is always SO much, and I can even just walk around and look at everything for hours, too.  This place is Dick's Sporting Goods.  If you're an athlete, after I said the store name, you know why I love it so much.  Two shirts my mom had gotten me were a size too small, and we were lucky enough to find the exact shirts in the right size.  How often does that happen?  Dick's also has great sales after Christmas, I have come to find out, so I also bought a pair of spandex shorts and some gray half-tights to run in on cooler days.

Next we headed to another one of my favorties:  Panera Bread.

I'm the kind of person who loves to go to these fancy little places, because I don't get to much.  When Mom takes me (I actually got Dad to take me and a friend and her mom after a cross country meet once), it is a treat!

I know that I can always count on Panera to have yummy, fresh, healthy, and satisfying items on the menu.  They also have seasonal items rotating all year to keep things new!

Here I had a cup of vegetable soup with a roasted turkey harvest and wheatberry salad with hummus.

The bakery in Panera is also great!  I got a coffee, hazelnut blend, with a pumpkin muffie!

I also love how they have it set out for you to fix your own coffee with cinnamon, nutmeg, and honey; I added it on top of my muffie!  Honey makes everything better.  Mom got an apple crunch muffin, and it was fantastic as well!

 

Next we headed to the mall to exchange some socks, find a shirt or two, get some pajamas for mom, and look around.  Even when I don't buy things, I love to go to the West Town Mall.  However, malls have become a very disturbing place for those with modesty and morals...I thought I might be blind by the time I left.  

Store like Hollister, Abercrombie, and others have sales such as 50% off entire store this time of year!

Afterwards, we went to another one of my favorites (yes, Knoxville has lots of my favorties), Target!  Here I got a new game for my Wii.

Finally we went to SAMS so mom could renew her membership and we could pick up some food that is good to buy in larger quantities.

 

Today was another great day of Christmas vacation!

 

**But I also learned a couple things:

1. If you're trying to quickly get the frost off the windshield of your car, remember when you crank it, turn on the defrost.  It helps speed things up...silly me.

2.  If it is super cold, and your hands don't like cold, don't run if you aren't fully prepared.  Then you may not be able to text your mother or even crank the car.

3.  Don't let your hands get so cold that when they sense warm and begin to thaw, you get horrible pains to where you cry more than you have in years.

Yes, I did these things this morning.

Learn from your mistakes!