#ChallengetoRekindle

2014, I'm sure you're great, but did you have to eat up 2013 so quickly?!  My mind is blown that it is almost 2014, because I'm confident I'm still drifting in the clouds from 2013.  Looking forward to the next year, my journey doesn't slow down at all.  There is so much to look forward to in the next several months, I'm already overwhelmed. 

runDisney Walt Disney World Marathon and Half Marathon Weekend is less than 10 days away!

Here are only a few of my exciting adventures for 2014

January - Goofy's 39.3 Challenge, which is a Half and a Full Marathon in one weekend!
February - Workcamp Visit to Colombus, OH and a BC Young Alumni Convocation Presentation
March - Shamrock On!  St. Patrick's Day Shamrock Half Marathon
April - Sitting for my Clinical Nurse Leader Certification Exam
May - Graduation with my MSN from JMU
July - Workcamp in Colombus, OH
August - Disneyland Half Marathon and 10K Dumbo Dare Challenge

I have countdowns and reminders and clocks and to-do lists; alerts and alarms.  Never hear this as a complaint from me, because I enjoy the thrill of going from one thing to the next, but I fear becoming consumed by deadlines and dates to the point that I forget the reason I live and enjoy life!  I challenge myself to rekindle the things that are important to me and the people to which I am important.  In no way can I identify myself with reminders and lists; even though, so many other people place my identity in those things.  I fear consuming myself with my own adventures, so much so that God's adventures have no place in my life, will sweep away my focus in 2014.  Along with reminders and clocks, and resolutions and goals that we set for ourselves, worry and doubt, and fear accompany those resolutions and goals.  Fear that a goal we set won't be completed.  Worry that my to-do list will only get longer.  Doubt that I'm good enough to complete my resolutions.  At what point in time do we allow God to intervene in our life?  And at what point does God just intervene and say, STOP? 

Can we all challenge ourselves to allow for the spontaneity of desires and dreams to overwhelm our souls to the point that we release the reigns that we grasp onto, so tightly?  I only hope that I can live out what it means to not be consumed by things, but to be completely transformed by moments and people in my life. 

The Unseen from 2013: Love is stronger than Fear

oh darling, let's be adventurers!

As I reflect on 2013, I am astounded at the ways that I was blessed.  Not just once or twice, but continuously.  Over and over again, blessings were delivered to me like rain in a monsoon.  One after the other; bucket-loads.  I am convinced that these were all heaven-sent because of my obedience in stepping out of brokenness and hurt into a lifestyle that exudes radiance and contentment.  This year covered over 100,000 miles, vastly different terrains, and purposes.  I traveled by boat, plane, car, and by foot and each mile is etched into my being like a still photo.  Don't think that this year was perfect for me, because there were plenty of struggles.  Overcoming doubt and judgement, incompetence and anger, and allowing love to surrender to fear were only a few of the imperfections I faced this year.  I'm learning what it means to break free from disconnectedness in order to connect again.  I'm still learning what having a free-spirit and allowing the bliss of the journey to carry me through each moment, sweet and bitter alike, actually means.  Joseph Campbell inspired me to find my bliss and to remember what it was like to be genuinely happy.  All that happened in 2013 is a testament to me finding bliss wherever I was and to wander freely where the spirit led.  Thank you for being a part of the journey.  Cheers to all of the things that may have gone unseen in 2013...

MYANMAR (BURMA), JANUARY 2013

A trip around the world to hike in the jungles of Southeast Asia proved that I could do anything if I set my mind to it and proved physical capabilities beyond what I ever imagined.  It also provided a perspective to the world that was formerly captive to my unrealistic view of love and reality.

 

WALT DISNEY WORLD, MARCH 2013

A time in my life where running was beginning to consume me like a raging fire and I was changing from the inside out.  Amazing how losing 10lbs can be the motivating factor in changing not only thoughts, but also a way of living.  

FIRST OF MANY RACES....

MOVE FOR LIFE 5K, APRIL 2013

 

LAST YOUTH SUNDAY, APRIL 2013

Probably one of life's hardest lessons to learn.  Obedience is action.  The day I closed one door in my life to what was surely an era of friendship and laughter, actually opened doors and windows galore.  God was just waiting for me to realize He truly was in control of every aspect of my life in ways I couldn't even fathom.  He was waiting for me to realize that in order to follow Him, I couldn't actually stay sitting in the boat.  I had to find courage to stand up and step out.  Yes, it's hard and sad, and difficult.  But the rewards to stepping outside of the boat are unimaginable and endless.

LAST NATIONAL JR. HIGH YOUTH CONFERENCE, JUNE 2013

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HEBS! JUNE 2013

...for such a time as this.  I am continually blessed by the people that so generously welcomed me into their church, their group of friends, and into their lives so intimately.  They have taught me humility in a way that can only be experienced when submerging yourself so deeply into vulnerability in order to expose everything about you.  Such intimate relationships are precious and more valuable than any gift on this earth.

SR. HIGH WORKCAMP, WASHINGTON, D.C., JULY 2013

Finding your thoughts and beliefs in a world where there are so many people screaming at you that their way of thinking is right reared its utmost challenging and ugly head during this experience.  Traveling through Washington, D.C. and its tragically divided understanding of unity and peace opened my eyes to the things that scare me.  The things that continue to divide us continually take us further away from living peace.

A

INTERNATIONAL NETWORK OF UNIVERSITIES 

GLOBAL HEALTH & NURSING WORKSHOP

HIROSHIMA, JAPAN, AUGUST 2013

Tokyo Disneyland

A-Dome, Peace Memorial Celebration 2013 at Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima, Japan

LURAY SPRINT TRIATHLON, AUGUST 2013

Swim, Bike, Run with my brothers.

AMERICAN NURSE CREDENTIALING CENTER 

NATIONAL MAGNET CONFERENCE

ORLANDO, FLORIDA, OCTOBER 2013

Lee Cockerell, former VP of Operations at Walt Disney World Resorts

RUNDISNEY WINE & DINE HALF MARATHON

&

RUNDISNEY JINGLE JUNGLE 5K

ORLANDO, FLORIDA, NOVEMBER 2013

Jeff Galloway, creator of the Run/Walk Marathon Training Method and supporter of runDisney

Running has taught me so much about enduring through the times that I want to quit.  Often there are times when things become so overwhelming, that quitting actually seems easier.  Running is an open road where we can release fears without judgement.

Finish line photo of Dad's first 5K

When you believe in a thing - believe in it all the way, implicitly and unquestionably. -Walt Disney

JOLLY HOLIDAYS, 2013

The more you are in a state of gratitude, the more you will attract things for which to be grateful.  -Walt Disney