1. The Thorn: The BEST birthday present ever!! (Thank you, Ben!) This play was a mixture of "The Passion of the Christ" and cirque du soleil, which equals an incredible performance! On Friday night, Ben and I went to the opening show of "The Thorn". I did not know what to expect except that everyone who had already seen it absolutely loved it. I was told to bring tissues (which I forgot), and definitely needed them throughout the show. What a wonderful reminder of the greatest story ever told! I was deeply humbled throughout the show, and was constantly reminded of how much each and every one of us is loved so much by God. Seeing the pain and punishment that Jesus endured for each of us (including our rotton sins), broke my heart. But, the great thing about this story is that there is no need for any broken hearts because Jesus defeats death, defeats Satan and defeats sin. Woot Woot! We do not need to be sad...we need to be celebrating!!! (http://www.thethorn.net/)
So...let's just say that "The Thorn" gave me the right perspective before the Cooper River Bridge Run the next morning...
2. The Cooper River Bridge Run: Where do I begin!? Well...it all starts at 4am...with my pack of oatmeal, bananas and water, I head towards Calhoun Street to find the numerous busses waiting to haul over 34,000 people over to Mount Pleasant. I love meeting new people each year when waiting hours before race time. It is a great way to simmer the nervous butterflies that always flutter constantly in my stomach before a race. This year, I got to meet a silver fox of a man that had many marathons under his belt, two awesome women who make their 40's look amazing, and a man from NY who was so happy to be somewhere that did not include snow. Finally, at 8am the gun sounded and the Kenyans took off! (They only need about 25-30 minutes to beast that 10k).
The weather was absolutely perfect and my legs were feeling good until I was about 3/4 up the bridge...I thought my calves and quads were going to explode any second. These are the moments in life where you realize that you cannot rely on your own strength. I remember begging God to just give my legs a little bit more juice so I could get to the glorious downhill part of the bridge! Lo and behold, just as I am about to give in, He gets me to the downhill portion! It's all a mental battle from there...and NOTHING is as bad as going up that bridge so the last 2.5 miles are possible! The one really lame thing that the creaters of the Bridge Run course did was tease the runners with the last .2 miles. You think you're finished because there's this huge sign that says you're at mile 6 (and looks like a Finish Line banner), yet you are fooled. You still have .2 more miles to push before you can fall over! After 49:32 minutes I crossed that glorious line! But, nothing is better than the feeling of crossing that finish line and seeing the vast array of bagels, muffins, fruit and water before you! Next year, I'm bringing a grocery bag with me and loading up after the race!
To all you Bridge Run participants out there...I'm beyond proud of you!! Way to "get over it!"
Now, more than 24 hours later, I still cannot move my legs properly and it hurts to go down stairs, but there is still more to celebrate about...
3. Two Years: Even though our anniversary is Tuesday, thanks to school, Ben and I had to celebrate our two year anniversary this weekend. I feel like the luckiest girl in the world to have been blessed with such a wonderful man in my life! I thank God every day for allowing me to have Ben in my life! (Sorry if this is embarassing you, Ben.) I promise this will be short and sweet! Thank you for the past two years! I love you! :)
So, after a great weekend filled with many celebrations, I am completely bummed that school is right around the corner. There is so much to be done in only 4 weeks...I find myself questioning how in the world I am ever going to get it all done in time!!! But, then I realized, I've been wondering that all semester, and everything that has needed to be done, got done! It is a constant battle with me to fight off the worries that parade in my mind. I've decided that I enjoyed this weekend so much (because I completely forgot about school), that I'm going to continue each day in sort of the same way. (Unfortunately, I have to think about school a little bit for now...). Why take school so seriously? It has to be done, but it doesn't last forever! Thank goodness!
"Don't take yourself so seriously. Lighten up and laugh with Me. You have Me on your side, so what are you worried about? I can equip you to do absolutely anything, as long as it is My will. The more difficult your day, the more I yearn to help you" -Jesus Calling
Lighten up everyone! (Including myself!) I hope each and every one of you has a wonderful week filled with things to celebrate and be happy about!! If you open your eyes and look hard enough, you'll find these things! If not, don't fret...I have a picture just for you! Enjoy! :)
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