Hi, readers (hi, and hope you're surviving the monsoon, Mom)! I think I forgot to post anything last week, but oh well. This week's post will more than make up for it! Quick life update: I'm training for a half marathon, raising a puppy, and working. The end. Just kidding (kinda).
I am going to dive right into the topic of this week's blog: the Bachelor Best Fest. When my brother got engaged in February, I'll admit, I had a couple of tough days realizing it's not the Jace & Jen show anymore, and that he's moving along in life to start his own family. I couldn't be more excited about my future sister-in-law and all of the adventures they'll experience together, and that I'll share with her as part of our bigger, better, awesome-r family unit. It's just that, whenever we were young my parents told us "You two will have friends come and go throughout your life, but you'll always be in each other's lives, so be best friends." For whatever reason, probably the grace of God, we stuck to that. In most relationships, you hear people say they've had their issues and tough times, and sure Jace & I have gotten into a few arguments here and there, but I can truly say I don't feel like we've ever really had major dysfunction or problems with each other. It's a one of a kind thing, so understandably, him moving on is happy and sad (in a happy way).
Anyway, before I get too mushy, Jace & I decided that we needed one "last" best friends hangout weekend before he ties the knot. Unfortunately there wasn't a Switchfoot concert anywhere near us, so we settled for the next best thing: the beach. We toyed with a few ideas and a few beaches before settling on a random town near Texas, Surfside Beach. It's about an hour southwest of Galveston.
We got up early Saturday morning, and had Dunkin Donuts for breakfast, because we're obsessed with Dunkin and our dad raised us well. Then we hit the road for four and a half hours. When we pulled up to Surfside, we went over an intercoastal waterway bridge, and all of the sudden there was ocean as far as the eye can see. I don't care how old I get, the first sight of the ocean after not being there for some time will never ever get old. Some might call it an obsession; I'm fine with that.
We grabbed some greasy food at a little local place across the street from the beach, then went to spend some time by the water. We were pretty sleepy, so a beachside nap was in order. After that, we just started walking. We talked about everything under the sun (literally and figuratively) for a couple of hours. Then once we realized our legs were getting kind of tired and we were hungry yet again, we headed to Clute, TX, about 10 minutes from the beach. We went to the grocery store and got some amazing food at a well-reviewed Mexican restaurant. Unfortunately, my computer isn't cooperating, so I can't share pictures. We decided to share an appetizer of shrimp and rice in an amazing southwestern/Mexican-style sauce. Then we had tres leches cake, which was divine as usual.
Then we headed back to the hotel at what seemed like 10 pm, but was really about 8 if I remember correctly. Jace remembered to pack the N64 in his luggage, so we played Mario Kart, reminiscent of many years growing up, as well as the 2 years we were roommates in Wichita while I went to PT school and he played baseball and studied in undergrad. It was so much fun! I was so tired though, so at one point I was basically driving and sleeping and forgot to push the button and my little character's car went nowhere....being 26 is exhausting.
The next morning, I really wanted to get in a little beachside run while the sun was rising. We got up pretty early and drove back to Surfside. I also wish I could share a picture of the sunrise with you. Southwest Kansas has gorgeous sunrises, but there is no such a thing as a more beautiful sunrise over the ocean. I think I was meant to be a mermaid. Or a beach bum. We ran a couple of miles and just talked about life some more. I secretly think Jace is actually the oldest child, because he's way more wise, mature, and knowledgeable than me.
After we ran, we had breakfast and went to buy some kites and a football to play with on the beach. I don't know if I'd ever flown a kite before, but it was pretty cool. I felt like such a kid again. We played catch with the football in the ocean too, and I got seriously tackled by a couple of waves. So much fun. After a few hours of fun and unknowingly burning to a crisp we decided to have one last meal on the beach. I had shrimp tacos, which were good, but really weird to eat. I just feel like shrimp should be consumed by the whole, so trying to bite them in half as part of a taco felt awkward.
The ride home was a little tough because we were both pretty exhausted from spending all that time in the sun, but it was good to just keep talking and having important life discussions (and not important discussions, too). I'm so thankful we got to hang out for our "bachelor best fest." More than that, I'm grateful to God every day that I was blessed with such a close relationship with my brother. I can't wait to see how it changes and grows with all of the big things happening in the next year!
PS For you Cali & Florida beach snobs, a beach is a beach. I just had to get that off my chest. Go grow up in Kansas.
PPS What's the best road trip or beach you've ever been on/to?
Twitter: @jen_being_jen
IG: @jenbeingjen
Saturday, April 16, 2016
Sunday, April 3, 2016
The Significance of Hills
It's April, guys (hi Mom)! I find it so hard to believe the year is already 1/4 over....it was just New Year's Day, wasn't it? Gotta enjoy it while it's here, or else it's gone quickly! It definitely feels like early summer in North Texas, and there are already wasp nests in every corner of the front porch. Sigh. Anyone want to come tackle them with wasp spray and a broom? We all know I'm a giant crybaby when it comes to bugs.
I have just been running, working, sleeping, and repeating. Holy smokes, there are a lot of injured people right now, and I'm trying to just help get them back to normal but it has been a little taxing being so busy, I'll admit. Half marathon training is also taking up a lot of time, but I'm still really enjoying my training plan by Nike! I have not done the same workout twice, so there's not really the whole "falling into the same old routine" thing going on, which is refreshing. Some of the longer runs are still tough but challenge builds character, right?
Speaking of running and "longer" distances, I got to head out to East Texas yesterday morning for the Tyler Azalea 10K. I've always heard that the eastern part of the Lonestar State is really pretty, so I decided to run a race there and find out for myself! WOW. Everyone was right, as it turns out. First of all, the weather was about 50 degrees and absolutely perfect for race day. Second of all, the course was seriously gorgeous. I've run through some really pretty places (i.e. Disney World, Galveston Beach, Trinity River) and I'd have to rank this race #1 as far as aesthetics go. Tyler has a lot of old, historical homes, which are in and of themselves beautiful to begin with. To add to the intrigue of those homes, all of them had beautiful flowers blooming in front of, around, behind, and in every direction you could see near them.
The course itself was actual pretty great too. There was running on old brick roads around the town square, through neighborhoods, and alongside some of the city's roads. There was a half-mile long hill (literally) at mile 4, which was so tough. Ironically, Thunderstruck came on my playlist at that time so I just laughed as I thought about how the pavement was being struck by my "thunder" thighs. Yeah, I have weird thoughts during races sometimes... To coincide with my weird accompaniment thoughts I also started thinking about hills and running and how it truly is similar to real-life. I apologize if my analogy is too cliche or if you've already thought through it before.
Basically, in life, we go up and down hills, with a few bursts of flat terrain, too. Of course the uphills are parallel to the tougher times in life, the challenges. I think God allows these uphills so we lean on him more, praising Him while we go up, have a hard time breathing, and feel pain. These ascents are where we are reminded so much of God's mercy. He could allow us to just go through the tough stuff on our own, which we deserve; but He doesn't. He pulls us up, all the way to the top of the hill, where we can finally see what we have been climbing toward. Uphills are a blessing, because we grow more and see more of God's power and sovereignty in these times.
Then there are downhills, glorious downhills. These are expressions of God's grace; the better times in life where we don't understand why it's happening, but God is blessing us beyond what we deserve. There can still be glitches if we don't watch our footing or get carried away going too fast, but descending down these hills are often such a relief after climbing up and being worn out. I like to say where there is an uphill, there's always a downhill....sometimes you just have to wait it out and run a really long uphill (like a half-mile long).
Of course there are flat parts of races too, the "day-in, day-out" parts of life. These are often where the race of life is made or broken. Sometimes, in races as in life, I'm guilty of just coasting through the flats, taking days for granted or not serving/loving/learning/praising/witnessing as I should, when this is the perfect time to adjust speeds and push it a little. Flats should be a time to work on different skills. In races, it might be speed, foot strike, cadence, or breathing. In life, it could be seeking out more ministry opportunities, visiting an old friend or loved one, checking something big off the to-do list, etc. Regardless of what it looks like, we should continue to offer praise and adoration to our creator for giving us these opportunities.
If you've never run, I hope the parallels above made some sense; I realize it seems a little scattered. In the end though, in both running and reality, I hope to follow in Paul's footsteps, where in 2 Timothy 4:7 he says, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." I can't wait for the crowns of righteousness awaiting me, but most of all I can't wait to see the One who guided, protected, loved, and was an object of my adoration and worship throughout all of the uphills and downhills throughout my time on earth.
PS Read 2 Timothy 4. The whole chapter- SO good.
PPS What's the most pretty race you've ever run?
Twitter: @jen_being_jen
IG:@jenbeingjen
I have just been running, working, sleeping, and repeating. Holy smokes, there are a lot of injured people right now, and I'm trying to just help get them back to normal but it has been a little taxing being so busy, I'll admit. Half marathon training is also taking up a lot of time, but I'm still really enjoying my training plan by Nike! I have not done the same workout twice, so there's not really the whole "falling into the same old routine" thing going on, which is refreshing. Some of the longer runs are still tough but challenge builds character, right?
Speaking of running and "longer" distances, I got to head out to East Texas yesterday morning for the Tyler Azalea 10K. I've always heard that the eastern part of the Lonestar State is really pretty, so I decided to run a race there and find out for myself! WOW. Everyone was right, as it turns out. First of all, the weather was about 50 degrees and absolutely perfect for race day. Second of all, the course was seriously gorgeous. I've run through some really pretty places (i.e. Disney World, Galveston Beach, Trinity River) and I'd have to rank this race #1 as far as aesthetics go. Tyler has a lot of old, historical homes, which are in and of themselves beautiful to begin with. To add to the intrigue of those homes, all of them had beautiful flowers blooming in front of, around, behind, and in every direction you could see near them.
The course itself was actual pretty great too. There was running on old brick roads around the town square, through neighborhoods, and alongside some of the city's roads. There was a half-mile long hill (literally) at mile 4, which was so tough. Ironically, Thunderstruck came on my playlist at that time so I just laughed as I thought about how the pavement was being struck by my "thunder" thighs. Yeah, I have weird thoughts during races sometimes... To coincide with my weird accompaniment thoughts I also started thinking about hills and running and how it truly is similar to real-life. I apologize if my analogy is too cliche or if you've already thought through it before.
Basically, in life, we go up and down hills, with a few bursts of flat terrain, too. Of course the uphills are parallel to the tougher times in life, the challenges. I think God allows these uphills so we lean on him more, praising Him while we go up, have a hard time breathing, and feel pain. These ascents are where we are reminded so much of God's mercy. He could allow us to just go through the tough stuff on our own, which we deserve; but He doesn't. He pulls us up, all the way to the top of the hill, where we can finally see what we have been climbing toward. Uphills are a blessing, because we grow more and see more of God's power and sovereignty in these times.
Then there are downhills, glorious downhills. These are expressions of God's grace; the better times in life where we don't understand why it's happening, but God is blessing us beyond what we deserve. There can still be glitches if we don't watch our footing or get carried away going too fast, but descending down these hills are often such a relief after climbing up and being worn out. I like to say where there is an uphill, there's always a downhill....sometimes you just have to wait it out and run a really long uphill (like a half-mile long).
Of course there are flat parts of races too, the "day-in, day-out" parts of life. These are often where the race of life is made or broken. Sometimes, in races as in life, I'm guilty of just coasting through the flats, taking days for granted or not serving/loving/learning/praising/witnessing as I should, when this is the perfect time to adjust speeds and push it a little. Flats should be a time to work on different skills. In races, it might be speed, foot strike, cadence, or breathing. In life, it could be seeking out more ministry opportunities, visiting an old friend or loved one, checking something big off the to-do list, etc. Regardless of what it looks like, we should continue to offer praise and adoration to our creator for giving us these opportunities.
If you've never run, I hope the parallels above made some sense; I realize it seems a little scattered. In the end though, in both running and reality, I hope to follow in Paul's footsteps, where in 2 Timothy 4:7 he says, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." I can't wait for the crowns of righteousness awaiting me, but most of all I can't wait to see the One who guided, protected, loved, and was an object of my adoration and worship throughout all of the uphills and downhills throughout my time on earth.
PS Read 2 Timothy 4. The whole chapter- SO good.
PPS What's the most pretty race you've ever run?
Twitter: @jen_being_jen
IG:
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