Living in the Moment.

This week I am going to take time to live in the moment. This is not something that comes easy to me. I often find myself stuck in the past or looking forward to the future (or sometimes even dreading the future). But oh how much I miss when I forget to look around and enjoy the present. I keep hearing the Lord pulling me back, telling me to slow down and take it all in. Life will never be the same, today is a gift.

They say that once you find the one you want to spend the rest of your life with, you want the rest of your life to start. And maybe even a couple hours ago I would have agreed with this, but the Lord has changed my perspective. My life is now, Ben and I's love story will not start with a ring on my hand or the words "I do." But rather, it started 2000 years ago with my King's death on a cross. It is by his mercy that I can say "I love you" to Ben and he can do the same. Without Christ's love and mercy, our earthy love would not exist. This is why I choose to live in the moment, in the now. God has given us today, today to be in love and today to demonstrate His. Of course I'm excited for the future, and I cant wait to be fully be with the one I love. But, I want to enjoy the process, because after all, it took a process for us to fall in love in the first place. 

Today was a beautiful day: the sun was out, the leaves were falling and I was with the one I love. Today was a day that I lived in the moment. Both Ben and I have been crazy busy with mid-semester exams and papers and as of late; have been spending most of our free time in the library. But we had just about two hours of free time, so what did we do?! We went on a lunch date and ate outside in the lovely fall weather. The food was great but the company was even better. What can I say? I'm in love!

We kinda like each other!

Yummy Mexican food!

Enjoying the beautiful sunny weather!

And froyo, best way to end a date!

Finisher.

physical. emotional. mental. spiritual.

All of these were included in completing the Chicago Marathon. Perhaps, besides these four words, another one could be used: FINISHER. I completed the Chicago Marathon and I did it for my lost high school friends. My wonderful YoungLife friends that maybe don't know Jesus but could now have an opportunity to meet Him face to face because they have scholarships to camp. For anyone that supported me, whether through prayer, financially, or even by cheering at the race; thank you from the bottom of my heart. It means the world to me that you believed in me and believed in the cause that I was running for.

I finished the marathon in 4 hours and 47 minutes; a bit slower than I had hoped but it was under 5 hours and I crossed the finish line. So Praise The Lord! The marathon was one of the most draining things that I have ever participated in, but also one of the most rewarding as well. It drained me physically. It drained me emotionally. It drained me mentally. And it drained me spiritually. But the Lord was faithful as always and carried me all the way to the finish line and he did this in the form of my WONDERFUL friend Hannah Shreve. What a blessing from the Lord, she ran just over half of the race with me and pushed me almost all the way to the finish line. My mental strength was fading but she was the one who kept me strong. I will forever be grateful to her for all the help that she gave me.

The night before my race, I had quite the shock. Ben and I were walking into Chipotle so that I could carb load and low and behold my family was sitting directly to my left! I was shocked, my parents were suppossed to still be in Panema and my sister was suppossed to be in Colorado. But with the help of Ben, they pulled off a wonderful surpise and were able to come to Chicago. I was so excited that I started crying and screaming and I think laughing at the same time. I would definitely say that the fact that they were there waiting for me at the finish line helped carry me through to the end. Thanks again Mom, Dad, and Heather for coming out to support me and cheer for me! I love you all so much! What a GLORIOUS surprise.

People keep asking me if I will ever run it again. My answer: I just don't know. I love running and see myself being a runner for the rest of my life but maybe not at this extreme again. Maybe I will try out a half marathon. We will see what the future holds, but for now I will enjoy being a finisher.

Here are some picture highlights from October 7, 2012:

Ben dropping me off at the start line. I was so cold!

Mile 11 with my lovely Hannah.

The best cheering squad in the world!

First hug from my sister.

They gave us these foil wrap things that kept the heat in. It was so nice cause I was so cold.

I finished and I ran the whole race with the Four Square Missions Press gospel bead bracelet.

They surprised me and came out to watch me race! I was shocked.

Boyfriend consoling, he is so good to me.

Thank you again to everyone who supported me. It meant the world. Now its time to check that one off the bucket list! 

It's Hydration Week!

6 days from now, I will be attempting to complete the Chicago marathon! They all say that the hardest part is the training and the dedication to do so, but honestly, I dont know if that is the same for me. I love to run, its the best time for me to think, pray, and reflect. Yes, the long runs have been hard, my body hurt, and there were times when I just wanted to quit, but looking back now, my runs have been such a blessing to me. Some of the most profound things that the Lord has taught me this semster so far have occured during a run. For this, I will forever be grateful for my marathon training, regardless if the race goes well or not.

But not only am I running the marathon to check it off my bucket list, I am running for a cause. I am running to break the chains that the devil has in this city in the lives of high school students. I am running so that high school students get the opportunity to meet their maker and come face to face with Him, the lover of their life. When I feel weak and want to give up, this is what I am going to remember: the faces of my beloved Walter Peyton and Cornerstone high school friends that dont know Jesus. They are going to be what keeps me going.

In this next week, I will be drinking gallons of water, loading on carbs, and going to bed with the sun. Im feeling nervous and when I think about next Sunday at 8 am, my heart starts to race (and Im not even running yet). But I'm trusting in the Lord, I've prepared and have put in the miles, now its time to celebrate the work that I have done. But to be honest, Ill just be happy to finish and check that one off my bucket list!

                                   

So for all my Chicago friends, I hope to see you out there, cheering like crazy, or maybe even running yourselves. If you see any of us wearing these lovely green jersey's make sure to yell extra loud so that I can see you/hear you. Cheers to happy running and loving kids like Jesus would!