wahooooooooo!!!!!

I RAN THE WHOLE 12 MILES of my long run this morning!!! omg, that felt so good, and I was so overcome with joy at the end that I even shed a few tears! (my running coach told me she cried at her first race, so if I cried today, I can't imagine what I'll be like at the race! haha)

it was freeeeezing this morning, but I pushed on through. my hands are usually cold already, but today they were so cold that I actually had trouble opening my water! haha

then, on top of that, I got chased by a dog! so, I definitely ran a bit faster for a while...haha!

(who knew the secret to increasing your speed was to have a dog chase you???)

first week of my JUNIOR year!

school started back up this week. so far, I love my classes and my teachers seem pretty nice! I have lots of friends in every class, so that's always fun! My favorite part of the year is the first day when we get to stand up and introduce ourselves. I am not shy, so I think that is lots of fun! It's interesting to hear about hobbies and things that other people like to do.

My schedule is pretty nice as well. I am done at 12:40 on Tues/Thurs and 1:15 on Mon/Wed/Fri. On top of that, Friday, I only have one class that starts at 12:20, so I can sleep in a little. Which is greatly needed considering that I get up around 5:37 am everyday! Gotta get my workout and shower in before classes so my afternoons are open for homework/babysitting!

:)

11 miles

I.ran.11.miles.

and it felt GREAT!

The weather was PERFECT, the scenery was beautiful, and I actually felt like a runner!

I ran the WHOLE time, with the exception of 3 walk breaks

(2 water and 1 refuel gel)

for a total of about 2 minutes.

I am SO pumped for the race now!

ONLY 4 WEEKS LEFT...

time flies

WOW! this week has gone by soooooo fast! I'm loving it! Staying busy is so much more fun! :) a few highlights from the week...

When I went to babysit baby Chandler (keep in mind I haven't seen her in a good month or two because they have been traveling all summer) held up her hands for me to pick her up RIGHT WHEN SHE SAW ME AS I WALKED IN THE DOOR, and gave me a hug! That just made me feel so good! :)

Little Blake invited me to his 4 year old birthday party. (His mom handed me the invitation and said, Blake said it was VERY IMPORTANT that you received this ASAP!)

My half marathon training is going wonderfully! I am so excited for the race and it's only a 4 weeks and 2 days away! YAAAAAAAAY!

well deserved TREAT DAY.

so, today I finally decided to take a day to actually spend my hard-earned money and treat myself. First, my friend Nikki and I headed to Hendersonville to watch a movie. It was really funny! Then, we browsed around the outdoor mall for a little while, before heading to Cheddars to eat dinner with Aunt Toni and Anna Kate. The whole reason for Cheddars as our dining experience was so I could indulge in my FAVORITE DISH OF ALL TIME... drum roll please...

THE MONTE CRISTO.

i fell in love with this MASTERPIECE of a sandwich a few summers ago when I was on vacation in Florida. We went to some restaurant in the mall with my grandma and she ordered it. I was skeptical at first since I was such a picky eater back then so I ordered something else, but THANK GOODNESS, she let me try a bite of hers. With that one bite, it was LOVE AT FIRST BITE!!! ;) haha Seriously, this is the best thing I have ever eaten in my life. So, today, as I claimed it my "treat day", I decided to go all out...it's either go big or go home! so I was so excited to have this lovely thing as one of my many splurges of the day!

Isn't she a beauty? :)

So, today was a GREAT day!

1) Ran TEN MILES.

2) Spent some of my money on a movie at the theater!

3) Hung out with an awesome friend.

4) Went out to dinner and ice cream afterwards!

5) Got to spend some time with my Aunt Toni and little cousin Anna Kate!

Devotional I had to share...

so, my Daddy sent me this FCA Devotional and it really caught my attention. I wanted to share part of it with you. :)

Do you realize that someone is watching you? Be assured that they are, whether you know it or not. Is your life worthy? Are you bearing fruit and striving to know God more each day? Whether we want them to or not, people are watching to see how we will respond to what life throws our way. Jeff now sees clearly how others are watching him, and I know he will continue to do his best to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord. So, are you?

I am around tons of little kids all the time, so this really spoke to me as I need to be a good role model for them, and later on when I'm a teacher. I also need to be a witness to people my age to show that we can still be strong in our walk with Christ even in college! God loves us no matter what!!! :)

busy little beaver...

I've been loving my half-marathon training so far, but I have one question that just absolutely puzzles me...why is the FIRST mile of every run the hardest? haha. I think it's funny, but after the first mile, something just kicks in and it gets easier..and when I hit 5 miles, it's like I get a complete second wind!!!

I have been training in the mornings, and babysitting in the afternoon/night. It's so much fun! Last night I went to meet a family with 5 kids! I went over to see their normal routine and all I have to say is WOW! That mom is SO tough to handle all of those little munchkins by herself! Her husband is in Iraq and comes home in 2 and a half months! The kids were really sweet though, but they definitely entertain themselves, which is a big help! haha.

I've gotten 2 new jobs this week, and a 3rd one called me earlier today, but I gave her my friends' numbers because I was already booked when she needed me.

I LOVE BEING BUSY! It's MUCH better than being bored!



Anyways, I have a couple pictures to share.


Blake and I created a lego IronMan. He "flew". haha. Fun times!