Vacation Day 1

There is nothing better than waking up knowing that it's vacation time. No alarm clock to wake you up, no phone calls to answer....just you, friends and days filled with no set agendas. Jen and I got up somewhat early and went for a nice walk outside before hitting the highway. The sun was shining and blue skies seemed endless as we made the drive south. We arrived in Pensacola around 4:30 and visited with my sister and her roommate Erin. We then headed to Pensacola Beach for dinner at one of my favorite places, Peg Leg Pete's. Such a fun beachside restaurant. The company was excellent and the fresh seafood was delicious! Here are some fun pictures:

Me and my sister Amy

Jen had to work for her dinner

I was caught by the hook

Had to pose with Peg Leg Pete

It's vacation time....

Ahhh it's that time of year again...when you take a little time away from the daily grind and head south to the Gulf of Mexico. Jen and I are heading that way tomorrow and I don't think I have enough words to describe just how excited I am for the break. It's been almost two months that I have been in my new job and it has been super busy. (and yes, I am still loving my job). But after working this month almost every weekend I am looking forward to some much needed R&R and "me" time.
We will be in Pensacola tomorrow afternoon/evening and stay with my sister Amy and her roommate Erin. Then Friday we are driving to the beach :) The weather channel tells me that it's supposed to be a sunny (still praying for good weather) and we have a hotel on the beach for Friday and Saturday. I can't wait to see the ocean, feel the breezes in my hair and eat fresh seafood.

If you should need to find me, I'll be sitting in a beach chair with my toes in the sand :)

Fridays and Parking Lots

It's always a great day when it's Friday. I tend to spend my Fridays doing errands and I especially don't mind running errands for the family when it's blue skies and the sun is shining. The past two days have been full of sunshine and I could definitely get used to this kind of weather. I had planned to do errands in the morning and work on party favors in the afternoon for a family event on Saturday however the day slowly was getting away from me.

I ventured to Target to pick up a couple things...nothing but an in-and-out kind of stop until I was leaving the parking lot. A car back right into me and I tried to honk my horn (which let me just say that my Toyota has the worse horn ever....it's really not a horn but sounds more like a "meep" and no one can hear that....it belongs on a scooter and not a car) & get out of the way but to no avail....CRUNCH! I mean really there is only so much one can do to avoid being hit but it was not my fault. We did the exchanging of information and now I'll be dealing with getting my car repaired. Thankfully there was not much damage but the panel on the driver side by the front tire got bent in. Here are two pics that I took from my cell phone.

Deer Crossing

I don't know about anyone else but I am thoroughly enjoying these blue skies and temperatures in the 70's. Aaaawwww! I met Jen again at Percy Warner Park after work to do our hilly loop/climbing of the stairs workout. Working out with someone is just so much more enjoyable than working out alone. Don't get me wrong, I love my running alone-time but it's fun to have someone to chat with while working out (that is when you have caught your breath from climbing those stairs.)

Tonight when Jen and I were on our 3rd downhill half loop, I was listening to Jen's story when this young deer literally walks right up to the side of the road in front of us. I stop Jen mid-sentence as we all (me, Jen and deer) precede to stare at each other in complete silence. I was in awe of how close this deer was to us and the deer almost seemed like he would walk right up to us. I always think of seeing a deer, getting there "deer in the headlights look" and then they bolt. Anyways, I started to continue our walk and Jen stopped me immediately and said "Don't move...that deer could attack us...haven't you seen those YouTube videos?" No, I haven't seen such a video and giggled but the fact that she used the word "attack" with my visual of hoofs flying made me reconsider my movement forward. So we waited patiently for this deer to cross the road and then started to jog down the rest of this hill. I don't know if it was near-death experience from a deer crossing, but we were delirious enough to climb the stairs a 4th time. Whew....what a workout!

Running with my shadow...

So I wanted to take every advantage this afternoon to run outside since the sun was finally shining. It was an ideal afternoon weather wise with temps in the low 60's, a calm breeze and plenty of sunshine! I decided to go for a run on Belle Meade Boulevard since it's well traveled by runners/cyclists and safe for those going it alone.

I ran to my turnaround point for a 3 mile loop and noticed that I was running with my shadow (or should I say that my shadow was running with me). When I would hit the patches of sunshine, there my shadow would be...just like someone was running along side of me...encouraging me to keep on going. Of course, any time I hit a shaded spot I realized that it was back to just me and it made me feel alone :( But just when I was feeling alone, the sun would shine again and my shadow was back! And my thoughts quickly turned to my relationship with GOD.

Obviously, GOD is always with me and because of HIM, I am NEVER alone! (so thankful...) but often times when I am in the shaded spots and I can't "see" my shadow, I feel like I am alone. Add a little light and you get a visibility of the fact that you are NOT alone! I have faith and this assures me that I do have GOD walking besides me whether my life is dark or full of light. Kinda of made me think of that "Footprints in the Sand" poem (or Snowshoes in the Snow as my friend Tra'Cee says) that not matter where we go in life, GOD is always with us. And that puts a smile on my face, because I know that no matter what, through life's tough times, happy or sad times, HE is always by my side!

I finished my run strong and drove home feeling incredibly blessed and loved :)