A Concise Update on Summer Goals

As promised, I'm stopping by to update each of you on the progression of my 4 summer goals that I listed back in May. I am happy to admit that only one has been a complete fail...with a perfectly valid excuse.

1. Drink 100 ounces of water every day.

I'm drinking at least 100 ounces a day! I thought that this one would be much more challenging, but its actually a fairly easy habit to cultivate. My trusty purple Camelbak water bottle has become a security blanket - it follows me nearly everywhere I go. And the best part? I'm feeling great! Constant consumption of water throughout the day keeps your kidneys working...which burns calories! It may seem petty, but sometimes baby steps make all the difference.

2. Run 150 miles.

FAIL. This one was my downfall. I ran a little over 20 miles before I finally accepted a grave reality...running makes my hip inflammation way, way worse. I'm still paying for those 20 miles, and I stopped running over two weeks ago. SO, because I'm certainly not giving up on cardio altogether, I've opted to become a queen of the bike and the pool. My new plan is to bike 200 miles and swim at least 20 miles by August 22.

*A shameless plug: My new Nike Pegasus 28 shoes are AMAZING. I highly recommend them for anyone with high arches, inverted ankles, and/or hip pain. They are incredible.

3. Read 4 books, just for fun.

I'm on my 3rd summer read! My first two went by very quickly (If You Ask Me, by Betty White, and The Art of Racing in the Rain, by Garth Stein). I finished White's book in two days and Stein's book in less than a week. My 3rd book, Cutting for Stone (Abraham Verghese) is a wonderful story, but it has certainly slowed my reading pace. It's a whopping 650-pages full of intricate detail and a complicated plot. Two weeks after picking it up, I'm still less than half way through, but I'm not worried...this reading is for pleasure, not measure (cheesy, right?).

4. Tell 1 person about Christ.

I admit that I haven't shared the gospel with anyone thusfar this summer. Nevertheless, I'm having some great gospel conversations with several people, and I'm prioritizing my prayer life to reflect my fear of sharing with them. My hopes are high and my God is big, and I know that He has a mighty work at hand.

I hope you take a moment to stop and consider something simply beautiful today. God has blessed us with our lives and our bodies and our time and even our world. And it's imperfect. Imperfect and beautiful.

2,138 Miles Later...

We've made it home from traveling home.

A recount of our Mississippi journey in numbers includes...
5 days,
7 car rides,
35 hours spent in the car,
5 tanks of gas,
20 relatives,
27 friends,
1 wedding,
and, of course, 2,138 miles.

Mississippi will always be my home. I felt as though I had always known this, but the past five days have further illuminated my understanding. The plethora of baptist churches, the broken roads, the funny town names, the lack of altitude, the blazing heat, the inconceivable humidity - I love it all, and I embrace it willingly every time I venture into what North Carolinians refer to as the "Deep South."

What used to be a daily reality is now a twice-a-year journey that requires effort, money, and a whole lot of driving. Being home is always a marathon, but it is equally sweet. I've never been much of a hugger, but when I find myself in Mississippi, I hug the neck of every familiar face in sight.

At home, there is one bittersweet realization that takes me by complete surprise each and every time it shows its unforgettable face - a face that, each time I see it, becomes more mature, more distinguished, older. Everything changes. I can hear these words echo for weeks after a much anticipated stay in Mississippi. Life goes on without us, and people keep growing up. Everything changes. Friends graduate and move away from a much beloved college town, and it suddenly seems rather empty upon return. Everything changes. Two friends who barely knew each other when you leave college date, love, and marry on a sunny day in June. Everything changes. Parents make plans to retire and travel out west. Everything changes. Your best friend of 7 years meets you for breakfast, holding a brand new baby boy. Everything changes. Despite my best efforts, lives keep changing, friends keep growing up, family keeps growing older, and life continues to dance to the beat of an unstoppable drum. Everything changes. 

"To understand the world, one must first understand a place like Mississippi."

-William Faulkner