what a run can do

So I have this hammock that sits outside. its not the netted kind, it sits in a stand. LP got it for me last year for our wedding anniversary. He always says I don't use it...but I do :) and today I did :D And I wanted to share with you my time with God...but first let me back up to yesterday

Recently LP and I discovered a park next to Lake Benson...its on the same road as our gym....idk why we didnt notice it before. Oh and across the street it connects to another park! So awesome! Yesterday I took myself to the Park. LP was at the NCAA turnny with our pastor watching Carolina. So it was just me yesterday. I went to the park with the intention of running the loop around twice. Which is a 2.4 mile run. Well I sprinted another .1 mile, got a swig of water and went at it again for another half mile for a total of 3 miles! YES! Bring on the 5K im running in two weeks! whoo!
Well don't bring it on yet. I've got two more weeks lol. But thankfully I'll have my running buddies that weekend to push me!
So I came home, took my dog Maggie for a walk, then cooked a great dinner with and watched some basketball.
I love how yesterday was just want I needed. I may be sore today but it was well worth it.

This morning I used my hammock to enjoy breakfast and a yummy cup of coffee. I sat down with my bible and with God. Yesterday on my run I prayed God would run with me. Along my run I was able to just enjoy his creation. Not only nature but the people at the park. And I felt God Spoke this truth to me.: He said (in my own words). "Heather Look around. See the trees, birds, the water? I know you love the color and how they look. But if I can make all of this to be enjoyed by so many, to make them happy. Please for a moment think of this: I made you. I made you to enjoy this creation. If all of this is so precious to you, imagine how precious you are to me"

I smiled the whole run...well for the most part. I was able to enjoy my feet hitting the pavement, the kids running around, the dog barking, the sun in my face, the old guy laying on the ground taking pictures. It was all God, everywhere. I could only hope everyone around me was feeling the same.

In Malachi I read these truths today :

Ch 1 vs 2 "I have always love you" says the Lord
"I am the Lord, and I do not change" Ch3:6
"They will be my people" says the Lord of Heave's armies. "On the day when I act in judgment, they will be my own special treasure" ch4:17

I am a SPECIAL TREASURE! my God loves me. But this the truth: God remains faithful to us who honor and remain faithful to him. :)

Find peace today my friends, peace in God's truth. Go for a run, walk with God, and ask for his truth and love to wash over you. You wont regret it

The first mile of many.....

So I'm just going to say it, ouch! Yesterday LP, Dustin, Kristin and I ventured to the gym. I had no intention of doing to much, which I am proud to say I didn't. I usually get really excited when I make it back to the gym and with the initial rush of endorphins I tend to over do it. But not yesterday; walked about a half mile, ran a mile, then walked another half mile. Over all 28 mins and 2 miles together. I've got to start somewhere right? Waking up today I realized that I could have done wayyyy more stretching.
I've also decided to change up the music on the ipod; my Sweet Workout play list has gotten a little redundant so its time for an update.
However I wanted to share one of the most important songs that will forever remain on any running play list. Once you read the lyrics you have to go listen to the amazing beat of this song. It keeps me running no matter what point of my run I'm in.

Its is by a Christan rap artist: Lecare its called "Run" appropriate right? :)


The intro beings with this crazy sounding man quoting 2 Timothy 2:5 "And if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not receive the prize unless he competes according to the rules."

You know your boy, Crae, running for the prize, I'm gunnin'
The one that don't rust or break all of a sudden
The Holy Spirit got your boy doin' a dozen
Push up, push up, come on, work it out cousin
I run from the flesh/it be tryin' to rise
And I'm done with livin' gettin' drunk and high
I'm a son of El Shaddai, the most High, who most def want me to do more then get by
I look in the sky and I'm so inspired, to run for a God whose my soul's desire
My sole desire to run for Jesus
And give Him all the credit like I run for visa
I'm done with pieces/I found my dime
I run to the wife that the Lord provided
And we decided that we would run together for God's glory alone homie we ain't lyin'
I run to the Word cause my soul is thirsty
No runnin from affliction though they may hurt me
I do preach wrath but I speak on mercy
And grace by faith, you can call me churchy

Run, this is your race, boy. Run, don't stop.
Run til your blood vessels bust like a glock
Run like a Nascar run round the track
Run, boy, run, boy,

Naw I ain't sweaty and my breaths pretty steady
My feet don't hurt and my legs ain't heavy
I'm still in the marathon, I keep the pace steady
Temptation is quick/but the Spirit stay ready
My eyes on the prize/yeah, they fixed on Christ
Hydrated in the Word but the joints are tight
That's why I get with a coach, who can stretch your boy
Who can push, pull, train me and test your boy
And blooka, blooka yeah you heard the gun
That means run off the blocks, run!
The Son is where I stay focused
Avoiding sin and I pass the baton to the faithful men
And we never run in vain or for finite prizes
So when the race is done there will be no surprises
The world says quit/we ain't tryin' to hear it
Cause to quench our sin's thirst is to quench the Spirit

We still in it, dawg
We can't quit, ya'll
All my cousins who runnin wanna stick wid it, ya'll
Jezebel is jumpin/your path, you best run
They tempting you to puff, puff, pass/you best run
Keep ya kicks laced, get your grips straight before you quit, you kick, this is the big race
Forget a medal man it's bigger than that
Forget a 4.2 40 man you're quicker than that
The Holy Spirit got the breath you breathe
So if the cramps kick in, it's the all the breath you need
Wait on the Lord to renew you man
Don't stop, keep going, you can do this man
Keep the Word in your grip, keep the Word on your lips, keep a tight knit Christlike crew for fellowship
And before you see the end and the race is done
Find some people who are seekin' and teach em to run


See what I mean....BEST.SONG.EVER. Keeps me motivated to run and the spiritual aspect is the best! Words don't even begin to describe the motivation physically and spiritually behind this song. I even start to sing it while on the treadmill.

There is so much freedom and joy in running, and there is freedom and joy that come from knowing Christ and living in his word.

peace.

Faith and Books

1/5/11
I am finding the value of faith, even when I feel that all I have done is complain or not given it enough credit. I owe so much gratitude and thankfulness to God for just showing me that he is there and forever faithful and unyielding in his love to me.
Today my car seems to have no problems at all. My Dad came and got it yesterday and apparently the only thing wrong with it was the radiator cap was not on tight enough. All the leaking, fogging up, and overheating had been one simple thing.
This makes me think of all the times when we are faced with life or problems that seem so vast and multiple in numbers we get so overwhelmed that we panic. So, when after the dust has settled we take a step back and suck in a big breath we see that it was all only one small problem that was easily fixable. I can’t tell you how many times I have jumped to conclusions or caused more problems to appear because I didn’t look at a situation with a clear head, or with a speck of sanity. In the end I am left feeling a little foolish, and in that moment I humbly admit defeat or at least laugh at myself.
Blessed are those who can laugh at themselves for they shall never cease to be amused. I love that quote, it still hangs on my bedroom door at my parent’s house. There’s a lot of truth in that statement and I know that I should try to remember it more often.
Ok that is my wise reflection for the day, or at least the moment. Here is the Random:





I just finished a book trilogy entitled The Call of the Herald, well thats the first book...its really titled The Dawning of Power. It was a free book on my kobo e-reader app on my phone, well the first book was. It’s a fantasy story and I fell in love with it. I purchased the other two books for 99 cents on Amazon kindle for PC. It took me all of 3 maybe 4 days to finish them both because I could not put them away. And now that it is all over I feel lost and sad! I miss the characters and their amazing battles and how they grew from kids/teenagers to adults. I will miss reading about their story and adventure and overcoming the odds stacked against them. You can think weird of me but I don’t care. I have found that I enjoy reading so much. It’s like opening a world to which I can escape to, often times wishing I was the main character, or just a character all of my own to add to the story. Sometimes the stories are so great that I never want them to end. I usually get this with a trilogy or a longer series. For example: the Twilight series, or Red, Black, and White series by Ted Dekker. I cried at the end of White. For several reasons, the beauty of the story was so emotional and so spiritually linked to how God loves us and sacrificed so much for us. It put that into a solid story with its own shapes and feelings that I cried. And also for the simple reason it was over even though I wanted more of the story that was left untold to the imagination. Books and stories can overwhelm me with emotion; I’ve yelled, cried, laughed, gasped and even shut the cover, and to my embarrassment I’ve done it out loud around people who just stare at me. But either way, yes this is a weird and random post about books, but as I said I will miss the book and characters I just got done experiencing a different life with.
I have another book I am currently reading by Steve Berry The Emperors Tomb. So hopefully the adventures of Cotton Malone will once again draw me in to a real world of secrets and adventure, and somewhat real history.
Until next time….read on :)

Happy New Year! 2011!

Wow! Is it really 2011?!? I can't believe how time just flies by! 2010- Thanks for the memories! Its been a great year, full of so much! I became and Aunt to a beautiful niece - Leanna Marie <3. Football season was so amazing! This summers mission trip to Savannah...wow. My sister got married! and so much more happened that I can't even remember right now, but it was a great year....lots of trials and testing. LP and I moved into the parsonage, and Ive made some new friends.

Of course with any new year we all have resolutions. Each year we make them and each year people either stick with it or look back in regret at something they wanted to do but didn't. I have my resolutions and I'm not promising to keep them, but I am promising that I will try. I am hoping that I will stick with certain things, and improve on others....but for the sake of blogging and something to do at this youth lock in here are some of my resolutions.

1.Grow Spiritually- Ive been complacent and not seeking after God, I just lazy or out of time...so.. its time to change that. I want to read my bible more, memorize it and know it! I want to follow God's will for my life :)
2. Grow spiritually with my husband - this means praying more together and reading the word together. Means a lot to me for Christ to be the center of our relationship
2.5. Spend more time with LP - we don't see each other as much but i want us to spend more time together.
3. Finish my Masters
4. Be a better athletic trainer - For me this just means to expand my knowledge, be more efficient at what I do and currently know.
5. Get in shape! - i say it all the time. But really I miss working out! So getting into shape means I work out, run and lift weights, but that I am aiming towards getting healthy, losing some weight, and toning up!.
6. Eat healthier - less soda and tea, and more water. More fruits and veggies. My body appreciates healthier foods :)
7. Run and complete a Half marathon :) - or at least run in some races!
8. Build strong friendships with my friends - spend time with friends, make new friends, and go see the ones I haven't seen in a while
9. Read more (I secretly want a kindle)
10. Read Captivating and complete the workbook
11. Cook more- really i want to cook for my hubby and me. and I want to be pretty good at it
12. Spend more time with family and friends
13. Save money
14. Get closer to being out of debt - pay off trailblazer, and cards and just have student loans to worry about
15. Go on a real vacation with LP- or at least start saving up for a big one!
16. Relax more
17. Complain less
18. Be more positive - toward life and myself as well!
19. Journal more - and or blog :)

Im sure there are so manyl other things I could add to the list...but I think that is enough for now. Im so tired right now lol I just want to do to bed! But im trying to hang in there till the end of the lock in...woah
Well welcome 2011....hope this is a great year!

:D

quick note and pics

So working on homework is a drag....blahh. I'm not looking forward to this Annotated bibliography which I just spelled correctly I think on the first try haha.

Anyways got more of the house decorated and will have some pics up soon! We got our tree today! yay!

But here are a few of me and LP recently together...and notice the tree themes hehe.

Been a while

I can't believe the last time I blogged was when football started! Gah! So much has happened since then. Season went well, made it to first round of states only to lose to Cardinal Gibbons...I think we could have won, but we just weren't together.
Its winter season with wrestling and basketball and I really miss football. The seniors and I have been with each other for 4 years now. So its sad to see them go.
This season I did get to meet Tom Suiter from Football Friday. Tyree got the Extra Effort Award so proud of him.


Yesterday was Thanksgiving and I have so much to be thankful for! I am so thankful for friends, family, a very wonderful husband who I love so much! The youth group ministry I get to be some part of. But mostly for God getting me through everything and always standing by me.

LP gave me my bday present early yesterday:) I lost my DS a while back :( but he bought me another one and several games. He didn't tell me how much it all was but I know it was more than it needed to be. But he knows me so well! I love my DS and the new games.

LP and I went Black Friday shopping and all the games were kinda of sold out already at 1am crazy! But we got all the other stuff we wanted to get. Then we ate homework and cleaning to do...and hope to be done by tomorrow. :/ we shall see. I think I might go to Fuquay to Kohls and just to get out of the house again. I need more ribbon for some in home decorating!

Friday night Lights

Next week starts two-a days...8-11:30 and 1-3. Im pretty pumped about this year. We get Hoodies :)And I've had two young ladies who are interested in sports medicine come along and have been the biggest help ever!
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However, the sad part about next week is that...the youth are leaving for Caswell on Monday, and I wont be able to go :( This is my first time missing Caswell with LP, and I am so bummed out about it. I couldn't find anyone to work for me. I have one Trainer friend around, but she is preggers and I dont want her out in the heat....no way!
So maybe God will make a way for me to go down on Friday. We shall see

Until then I am excited to start reading Captivating and doing a book journal that goes along with it. I am also still trying to read a Psalm a day...but have been slack this week. I am going to but 1 Corinthians on hold and start the book of John with LP.

So lots of stuff is going on. HS will start back soon and so will online grad school. Hopefully I can get a car after next week and start driving something with better gas mileage than our trailblazer and my dad truck. *fingers crossed* that this car will last a long time!

Well I just got done playing with my baby niece...who is the cutest baby in the world...I love her!:) But its shower time

peace