burnt behind the ears :: part one.

the text-

mom: do you have any plans thurs evening thru Sunday?

me: not that i know of. why?

that was the beginning of something exciting.

an exciting and fun-filled beach trip.

blessings abounded.

mom came and picked me up from work thursday evening and we hit the road--on our way to a happy place with white sand.

during the 3 1/2 hour trip, we passed farmhouses and 18-wheelers. 

i looked over my shoulder and realized i was witnessing one of God's most amazing creations ever.

the sunset.

blessings abounded.

pulling into santa rosa, we pulled right up to the condo that we would be staying in...or so we thought.

we couldn't find the house number that we were to stay in. turns out, mom was looking at the wrong number and we were right beside where we were supposed to stay. ha! memories made.

our house number was 10 and the time was 8:30 pm.

unloading the suburban and climbing the flight of stairs into the main part of the house, we began our own tour of what would be our home away from home for the next three days.

after we were unloaded and ate a little something, mom had the marvelous idea of taking a midnight (ahem, i mean, a 10ish) stroll along the beach.

with our iphone flashlights in tow (i knew those things would come in handy one of these days ;), we set out for the .40 mile walk to beach side.

oh, and did i mention we were walking on spooky lane with "seahaunts" condos on the same road?

yeah.

strolling along the miles of sandy beach, mom and i enjoyed listening to the waves beat against the shore.

we chatted about the whole other world rolling in the water at our feet and all the amazing creatures out there in the depths of the sea. we talked about what an awesome God we serve who knows every fish and creature--some that we may not even know of--and the same God that created all of that wonderfulness, fearfully and wonderfully made us. 

such an incredible thought.

blessings abounded.

after snapping a few silhouettes, we headed back to the house.

and guess what?

these two girls pulled a 12:00 pm'er.

woah, i know.

(hey, that's suuuuper late for these two old grannies.)

more to come later.

the first day of the last.

today is it.

the first day of my last semester of college.

boy, howdy.

how i have been looking forward to this day.

it seems like only yesterday i was registering for my first semester of online classes.

and yet, it seems like it was eternity ago.

as i look back over my wonderful experience of college life, i am reminded of all the blessings that i experienced along the way...

`being able to stay at home and complete my assignments in the comfort of my own home.

`having a family that was there all along the way to support me.

(mom, i couldn't have done it without ya.)

`not having to worry about being "late" for class when i could just hop on the internet and be there in the midst of class session.

`being able to go to bed at 9:00 like an old grandma and not feel pressured to stay up with college friends.

`having the flexibility to spend more time with family and friends instead of having to sit through lectures in a college building classroom.

...sitting at the table in my pj's, just me and my lecture notes, studying for a final.

...being able to answer a discussion board in the empty library on my lunch hour.

...having the privilege of being able to take women's Bible classes and learning about how to be a homemaker and virtuous wife.

...having the most quaint classroom of them all.

...and sometimes, mid-term week just called for a breakfast of chocolate graham crackers with peanut butter and a diet coke.

...oh yeah, and then the little reminders for everyday.

yes.

it was an amazing last four years.

even with all the tears that were cried over accounting 1 and 2 homework and the instructors who would take weeks to email me and grade my work, these past four years held some of the greatest blessings in my life.

so here we go.

last semester, let's get you knocked out.

thankful.

it's that time of year.

the time of year to gather with family and friends that you haven't seen in months.

the time of year to stuff yourself with dressing and ham and eating turkey even if your not crazy about it.

via instagram

the time of year for the cousins to weigh before and after the thanksgiving meal and counting the pounds gained.

the time of year to write down "thankful for's" and to count the blessings that are abundantly overflowing.

via instagram

the time of year where everyone gathers around the tv to watch the face-off between the tide and tigers.

the time of year to go pick out the perfect Christmas tree and build a fire and listen to Christmas music while ooohing and ahhhing over the ornaments that haven't been seen in a year.

via instagram

the time of year to get all Christmas shopping done which means staying up all night to fight the black friday craziness.

the time of year to find the perfect hiding spot in the house for the presents you bought so that no sneaky peekers will get too curious.

via instagram

(pictures taken from this past weekend. my 22nd birthday was happy and blessed. my boyfriend came from kentucky and there were lots of family of friends who showered me with birthday love.)

what happy things does thanksgiving have in store for you?

i hope you all have a happy week and try not to eat too much turkey, okay? ;)

in the middle of my little mess, i'm blessed.

the day was yesterday.

i slipped my new dress over my head and snapped my yellow necklace. my yellow earrings added the perfect touch.

putting the finishing touches to my makeup and hair, i softly sung to walt disney's tarzan pandora station. 

i tip-toed downstairs knowing that the sis was catching some extra snoozes.

i could feel it. it was going to be a good day.

telling mom goodbye, i was off.

it was a day spent in the workplace at my job at the university.

the day was filled with busy work running all over the building delivering paper to certain individuals.

i smiled to myself knowing that this was my life and how much i loved my life.

i was giddy thinking about what the future might hold.

   
                                                                         //Source via Pinterest//

some days, we may be tempted to look at all the negative things in life.

certain decisions that national leaders may make.

prayer being looked down upon in the schools.

poverty in the world.

crimes in the cities.

families who are being broken.

these are all sickening to think about.

and to think of where our nation is heading--farther and farther away from God--is even more saddening.

but,

we have a God that is much bigger than all the messy little things in life.

when we pour our hearts out to Him and let him know our pleas, He is willing to hear our cries.

so, next time i or you think of all the messes in life, just think about how we are truly blessed.

blessed to have a God that is on our side when we're faithful to Him.

blessed to have a new dress to wear.

blessed to have a SUV to get into and drive to work.

blessed to have older men and women as mentors and those we can look up to.

blessed to have the ability to go running at night time with fireflies all around.

blessed with these last few weeks hanging out with the sis, laying on her bed in the dark, trying to find the perfect bridesmaid shoe on the internet.

blessed with family and friends that love.

yes,

we are big and blessed.

ketchup run.

The alarm was set.

The radio went off to wake me from a horrible nights rest. 

The cause: anxiousness of a race the next day.

5:09 a.m.

I get up and put on my gear. My running gear.

The pink tank top and brown capris are what I choose today.

We leave the house at 5:45 to get to our destination at 6:30.

We notice that not many runners are there.

We are 30 minutes early to the Ketchup Run that starts at 7:00 a.m.

Blessings abound.

The time keepers are just now setting up their equipment.

We think, "Wow, they need to get a move on. The race starts in 30 minutes!"

We are handed our packets and we pin on our number bibs.

As it gets closer to 7, there are still not half as many people that are expected.

The lady said that there were 120 runners registered.

Nope. There were maybe 25 present at that moment.

Mom finds a 5k flyer taped to the door of the Earth Fare building (they were hosting the race) and she reads it:

The race starts at 8:00 a.m.

Really?

We arrived and hour and a half early.

Oh well. 

Getting up at 5:00 had to be good for us....in some way...we just didn't know how.

Trying to count our blessings, we settled in and waited for the race.

Blessings were there whether we realized it at that point or not.

After snapping a picture of our running team, we still had time to spare.

We loaded up in the sub and headed out to drive the course and see where we would be running.

It was a fairly easy course. Some hills. Not many.

Blessings abounded.

We get back to the starting line and start our stretches.

It's time.

We get on our marks and go.

Having warmer hot weather the days before, God saw fit that it be a cooler day with nice breezes just when we needed them.

1 mile....8:40.

My fastest mile ever.

Blessings abounded.

The race is finished and everyone's a winner.

All the contestants receive a ribbon and the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners in male and female overall receive a ketchup bottle as their take-home prize.

(I thought it was cute myself.)

Daddy and mom beat their records and ran their fastest 5ks.

Sister just blew us all out of the water and finished in 25.

And I completed the course in 31:27.

Blessings abounded.

Yup, it was a good day.

Instagram pics:

@purposelyathome

zoo with the two.

Today was perfect.

A chance of rain was predicted in the forecast, but no rain was to be found.

Mom, Sis, and I left our house to go pick up the two.

We were going to have a fun day at the zoo.

Blessings abounded.

The little boy:

our minister's grandson.

a ball of energy.

talkative and too smart.

a sweet prayer-sayer at our picnic.

the holder of the map--our guide.

The little girl:

full of sweetness.

another friend from church.

kept the little boy in line--hilarious.

fellow swinger on the swing set.

my sunglasses snatcher.

The sis:

full of unexpected surprises.

my best friend.

zebra print purse carrier.

picnic assistant.

leader of the pack.

(i mean, leader for me. if it wasn't for her, i would get lost everywhere. i. went.)

The mom:

lunch preparer.

queen swinger of the kids in the swings.

assistant guide to the little boy.

carrier of great surprise outings.

Blessings abounded today...

swing sets and sightings of tigers.

playgrounds and new friends.

peeks at mr. rhino and peacocks that howl (or is it yelling?...).  

sweet little ladies and tough little boys.

floating turtles and mini birds that eat out of your hand.

colorful birds and pink, sleeping flamingos.

thrilling train rides and yelling through dark tunnels.

yummy pb&j sandwiches with tortilla chips/wheat thins.

After little boy said the most precious prayer to bless our food for lunch, I said, 

"That was a great prayer!"

He replied:

"Thank you, I made it up myself."

Yup, got to love those 5-year-olds.

=)

benches to rest on and an armband for entry.

silly faces and maps to tell.

yellow and white anaconda's and camouflaged tree frogs. 

sweet hugs and breaks at the water fountain.

How I love these people.

Today was abounding in blessings.

a run for a mom.

Saturday was race day.

We had just driven from Hilton Head the afternoon before.

We were blessed  (hey, i'm trying to find the good in having a cold, ok? :) with runny noses, sore throats, and coughs, but nothing was going to dampen our 5k spirits.

It was the Agape run and we were running for a mom.

www.runforamom.org

Dallas' birth mom.

Blessings did abound.

Daddy was prepared.

He had started to run a few months before and his name was on the list of competitors.

This would be his very first 5k.

Walking and running the course, he finished in 35 minutes.

Amazing job by Daddy.

(he has now joined the team. welcome aboard, dad)

We were on our marks but weren't set to go.

Having timing issues, we started the race 10 minutes late...at 7:40.

It was okay though. To pass the time, there was a guy who officially "warmed us up" and all the runners did the wave.

Yup, fun stuff.

Having a cold, I wasn't feeling so hot, so I placed myself to the far right side and not so close to the front of the starting line.

The timers were eventually ready and the horn buzzed.

We were off.

The photographer lady had placed herself right in the middle of where the runners were running to get that "perfect shot" but I think she kind of regretted it. I heard that she was trampled just a little.

"These are runners on a mission, lady."

Pacing myself I ended up running one of my fastest miles.

9:04 min/mi.

Averaging 9:50 minutes per mile (according to my handy dandy running app), I sprinted to and across the finish line.

Blessings abounded.

Cheering the rest of our team across the finish line, we awaited the results.

Oh, and the door prizes.

the rest of our running team: grayson, mrs. stacey, gavin, and mr. roger

The numbers were called and the door prizes were given.

And then the announcer said:

"Oh, wait we have one final door prize left."

"Number 281!"

Yup, that was my number. 

Out of all 400-something numbers, my bib was called as the final door price.

I was pretty excited about my laptop cover.

Daddy won fifth in his age category, Mom won first, and the sis placed second.

(they only gave out first place trophies.)

It was a great day and we were blessed in that it didn't rain.

(thanks to all who prayed)

It was overcast and perfect.

Blessings did abound.

Stats for the Agape Run for a Mom:

Start: 07:40:00

Finish: 08:12:33

Total: 32:33

Pace: 10:30

Chip Time: 07:40:05

Age Division: 20-24

Place: 5th out of the 19 in my age group

Overall Place: 139 out of 396