38729563210 random things you never knew about me and probably didn't even want to know, but i'm going to tell you anyway...

is it just me or is it getting ridiculous with the "about me's" and posts people are making spilling out the most random and unheard of facts about themselves... to a people who honestly, probably don't even care. people are more than just willing, but almost desperate for the world to know that their favorite day of the week is tuesday, when they were seven they had a dog named sparky, they're mortally afraid of spiders, and that they have a secret obsession with twilight (which, ps... once you tell the whole world, it's not much of a secret anymore!) now, don't get me wrong, it can be cute...to a point... but i think this phenomenon is stemming from a deeper issue.

people ARE desperate... desperate to be known. they want to feel that there perhaps is at least SOMEBODY out there who cares that their favorite fruity scent is pineapple, goldfish kinda creep them out, their 7th last text message says LOL, and they can't get that special someone off their mind. they want to know that the details of their lives...the things that make them tick, make a person unique, won't be forgotten or overlooked.

as a girl, i get this. i mean, i smile to myself when somebody remembers that i absolutely love buddy's barbeque, my favorite flowers are daisies, and hearing a kenny chesney song on the radio makes my heart pound a little faster. its the fact that somebody cares enough to pay attention to these details that he (or she) took the time to remember. but i'm not looking for my entire friends list on facebook to remember that and or even care. the ones who know me enough to know these things without me spilling it out in a witty myspace survey already know those three things about me that everyone needs to know (ahem, SL yellow 08!) i would be seriously weirded out if someone i had never really met before in real life (facebook friends only) came up to me and said, "i know you're a black and white kind of girl, your favorite shirt is your red t shirt from the 8th grade, you love art, and your favorite 80's song is PYT by michael jackson..." SERIOUSLY. but that's what we expect isn't it? people we don't even honestly know to care enough about us to know us on a seriously intimate level. maybe its just getting to write these things down and putting them out there, but honestly, how selfish is that? if we are so consumed in ourselves that we honestly think everyone SHOULD remember that you prefer apples to oranges, you hate things that glow in the dark (for some odd reason), and your LEAST favorite color is green, then there are some real issues to attend to.

but this need to be known really concerns me. if so many people are desperate for someone to know the intimate details of their lives, shouldn't they look to the ONE who already knows all these things? the ONE who created all these quirks that make us unique. the ONE who, in all honesty, probably laughs to Himself about my obsession with barbeque, sweet tea, and country music. that's what we're looking for anyway, isn't it? someOne to know us inside and out and actually care about these flimsy details? and if you're one of those people who do post the "83293456 things you should know about me," i'll read it, but i can't guarantee that i'll remember every 83293456 detail. trust in the ONE who made you that way in the first place.

disclaimer: all the facts in this blog were made up. they in no way depict the real me. i DO have obsessions with barbeque, sweet tea, and country music...but you already knew that, didn't you?

first love

let me just go on the record now saying how much i missed playing basketball...

ever since i can remember, my dad brought both me and my brother up playing the game that he coached for so many years. as a 4 year old, i would play outside with the boys after school, sit on the bench with my dad's team, and even help keep books from time to time (i'm pretty sure that's where i learned how to add....)

when i was old enough, i started playing in leagues and teams around the area...upward until i was old enough for school ball, and then AAU (a competitive traveling team) starting when i was 12. those were the "serious days" i'd have shooting practice before school, a two hour practice after school, then when i got home, i'd have another shooting practice with my dad out in the driveway. it was a year round thing with us: camps (team and individual) in the summer time, fall ball and school ball during autumn and winter, then as soon as school season was over, AAU season would start, carrying us through the spring and beginning of summer. seriously, at that age, if you asked me what i was going to do in college, it was "play ball for pat summitt at UT" and then "become the shortest girl ever in the WNBA"

but, as always, God had a different plan for me. the summer before my sophomore year of high school, i was playing for a great school team (practice in the summer too, folks), but was really conflicted in my heart because i knew the girls that i had grown up playing with were not the best examples for me to surround my life with. then came the week that i had to choose between going to beach camp with my student ministry and a team camp for basketball. i chose church camp, thinking surely my coaches would understand... well, long story short, i was benched for a whole week when i got back because i missed that camp. when i went and talked to my coaches they told me, basically, it was time for me to choose. (sounds familiar to anyone who's recently read matthew 6?) i couldn't do both: play the sport i love, or be active serving the God i loved even more...

so after praying about it, talking to my parents about it, and shedding more than my fair share of tears about it, i resigned from my position on the team...sure that i would never play again. not at the level that i thrived on. but i knew God had better things in store for my life. fast forward over 6 years and here i am, a senior in college, and i have finally came back to my "first love" oh, i played pick up games and even coached a group of 3rd and 4th grade girls for a couple of years, but it was never enough to lace up my shoes and really go all out on the court... until last night. i was asked to play on an intramural team this year, something i had avoided for the past three years due to business, and fear that i had really lost my touch. but it took just the first play to sink back into a rhythm that felt as natural as breathing... pushing my body, not like when i run, but totally letting myself go and being a part of a TEAM again... having 4 other girls on the court with me and functioning as a unit toward our ultimate goal.

confession: as soon as tip off, i exploded....it was like everything pent up in me just moved out of my feet and hands with unbelievable force. so, i played probably a bit too rough... i made some girls on the other team not so happy with me, but it was like something had snapped inside of me and i honestly couldn't help it.

so, the team's 1-0... and we have a good chance of going all the way this year. i'll keep you posted.

last semester!!!

schedule:

monday:
9 am Anatomy II
11 am Exercise Physiology
12 pm teach math
3 pm Anatomy Lab

tuesday:
10:30 am exercise swimming
12 pm teach math
1:30 pm Faith and Freedom

wednesday:
9 am Anatomy II
11 am Exercise Physiology
1 pm Exercise Phys Lab
3 pm work at the Outlet

thursday:
10:30 am Exercise Swimming
12 pm teach math
1:30 pm Faith and Freedom

friday:
9 am Anatomy II
11 am Exercise Physiology
12 pm teach math
1 pm Senior Seminar

and then one day, i just felt like runnin' ~forrest gump

running has always been my outlet, my escape. just like that new balance commercial (go look for it on youtube), me and running have had a love-hate relationship over the years and there was definitely a stretch in my life where i neglected the one thing that i needed in my life. i would still run, but it felt like a chore...go out and get in my two miles so i didn't feel like a total slob.
so recently, i have made an effort to restore the relationship i have had with the feeling of pounding out mile after mile until i can't think anymore. these distances have been the place where i can think, not talk, just be me for however long i need. so i went and ran six miles today... really ran too... no treadmills, no elliptical, no run/walk business... i just settled myself in for a long run and did it... boy do i feel better.
and i plan to never get to a point where i have been away from my friend for so long ever again.

2009

can't believe it's already 2009...

where's the pause button??? somebody's got to be able to just make this crazy world slow down for a second...it's as if i'm afraid that if i blink again, i'm going to miss something big because we're just spinning too daggum fast, in my opinion.

now i know i'm the one who said new years was kinda hokey...a time where everybody makes these huge outlandish promises to themselves with no intentions of keeping...and i still believe that's true, BUT i do think it's a good time to pause and reflect about where the heck your life has gone in the past year. so here's my list:

favorite moments of 2008:
* sitting on the 13th row for george strait in concert
* hot tub conversations in gatlinburg in the freezing cold
* spring break 08 at coker creek: star-watching, riding horses, and sleepovers
* a certain dave barnes concert where my life took an interesting turn...
* sitting on the 18th row for KENNY CHESNEY in concert! (and getting lost on the way back)
* April 28, 2008
* my brother surprising me for my 21st birthday
* my best friend getting married
* working for Student Life YELLOW TEAM 08
* driving with droogs from chicago to colorado
* christmas in july
* moving into my first apartment
* running at 6 am at lake lure
* best day ever: running in knoxville, getting cleaned up and coming back for josh turner in concert!
* interviewing at belmont
* GETTING ACCEPTED AT BELMONT!
* spending time in nashville
* thanksgiving with EVERYBODY at my house
* daniel, val, and me learning to stand on our own feet...

i'm so excited to see what God has in store for 2009!

it's really happening

why do we always get surprised when the things we plan for and dream about actually happen? i mean, i've dreamed for quite a while now about things such as graduating from college or getting accepted into physical therapy school. well, the first steps to these processes are starting to fall into place and they always catch me by surprise.

for instance, last week i got my invitation to interview at belmont physical therapy school in nashville. and i was completely overwhelmed, kept thinking, "this is really happening!" now all i have to do is fret and worry about saying the right thing, looking the right way, carrying myself in the right manner for 18 more days... haha, i'm not counting down or anything! but yes, i will go to nashville on october 24 to try and convince these scary admissions people that i'm really smart enough and cute enough to come to their school and that by God's grace i will be the best physical therapist ever!

nathan says i'm in, no problem, cause who would reject a girl as cute as me, but i think he's biased. i just have to remind myself not to psych myself out, as i am extremely capable of doing in nerve wracking situations such as these.

and seriously, i have a million hurdles to get over before i can even be nervous about oct. 24.... my next few weeks are chock full of tests, quizzes, presentations...about a million things school related, so who even has time to be nervous?

oh well, if there's one consolation its that i get to see my favorite country music star in concert on saturday night (not daniel wilson). nathan and i are spending the evening in maryville at the JOSH TURNER CONCERT!!!! i'm so stinkin excited! wahoo! definitely stay posted for details and pictures!

the best run ever

trying to put into words what happened saturday morning is near impossible... but i'm going to try because i have to get it out there.

we were at the lake (lake lure, nc) and woke up before dawn to go run. me, sarah, j.r., and heskett drove to the beach at the lake to start our run there. it was chilly, enough for me to enjoy my running shorts, but still break out my under armor top.

after stretching we got together and prayed before we started. we decided not to talk so much during this one, but really try and spend the next moments with God and connect with Him. i think if any of us had a clue what was about to happen, we would have just gone and jumped in the lake right then.

we started off at a good 10 min/mile pace, with me leading the pack over the boardwalk, watching the fog lift and the sun coming up over the mountains. my breath literally caught in my throat (which is NOT a good thing when you're running) as i was completely astounded by God's beauty and goodness. we ran out of the tiny town of lake lure and on to the small village of chimney rock. when we hit chimney rock's town limits, we transitioned without so much a word into an indian run. i would start out at the front, then heskett would come from the back to take the lead and set the pace for a while, then sarah would move from the back to the front, then j.r... we moved like that the entire length of the town and back... not speaking so much, but completely feeding off each other's energy and just enjoying what i considered to be the truest fellowship i've ever had. when we once again reached the lake, we veered off onto a path through a small park that was possibly the most peaceful place i've ever witnessed. it was still quiet, still semi-dark...the only movement besides our rhythmic pounding were the ducks waking up in the marsh beside us. we ran this half mile in twos, but still close enough together to feel like one unit.

when we reached the boardwalk again, heskett encouraged us to leave completely everything behind and let any hinderances go that were weighing us down (see HEBREWS 12:1 for more). i honestly didn't think i had that much more to give, but i sprinted those last 100 yards and felt like i hadn't in a long time...i felt new, whole, pure...even though i was sweaty, gross, tired, and had a cramp settle in my calf muscle.

when we got done, JR stopped his watch and to all of our amazement, we had been gone for 45 minutes. we drove our route to check the milage and had completed FOUR AND A HALF MILES from start to finish. and i had never felt better. we talked on our way back about how each of us had experienced God throughout the run and were encouraged by each others' stories. i don't think i'll ever have a run like that ever again, and i'm scared that i'll lose that feeling i had on the beach, gasping for breath, but smiling at the communion i had just taken part in. it was a morning where i truly met with the Living God.