life beyond the well…

Tag Archives: Dreams


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And Then I Won a Liebster Award?

liebster-awardLast week A couple of weeks ago, Hayley from A Beautiful Exchange nominated me for a Liebster Award, which is another way for bloggers to connect, encourage each other, and find new blogs to read.  It was a total surprise, and I was humbled to know that other people besides Preacherman and my close friends and family read my blog!

Here’s how the Liebster Award works:

-Thank your nominator! Include a link back to their blog with your appreciation
-Answer the 11 questions given to you by your nominator
-Post 11 facts about yourself
-Nominate 5-11 other up-and-coming blogs with less than 200 followers for the award–no tag backs!
-Come up with your own set of 11 questions for your nominees to answer
-Let your nominees know you nominated them so they can pass it on
Thanks, Hayley!  I love reading your blog and learning about your life in NC as a new wife and a new mommy!  Your faith and your reflections on life are refreshing!
Now for these questions:
  1. What is your favorite meal?  This is tough because I love food a little too much to be healthy. I definitely try to save most of my calories for dinner (although I know I should eat more at breakfast).
  2. What is the most embarrassing moment of your life? I’m not sure that I have one.  Maybe because I’m not easily embarrassed or anything that may have been embarrassing at the time is just funny now?  I asked Preacherman to remind me of an embarrassing story I told him, and he couldn’t find one either.  The time I almost choked during communion?  I’m just not sure.  I’m sure this means something embarrassing will happen really soon!
  3. Tell us about your first boyfriend ever. Please include the juvenile, gushy details.  My first real boyfriend was in middle school- we met at a dance and “went together” all through 7th and 8th grades.  We both played sports, and were tall and skinny.  We went to our 8th grade Prom together and my parents rented a Lincoln TownCar and chauffeured us to the dance. We broke up because he kissed another girl (my “friend”) on the bus.
  4. What is the story behind the name of your blog? You can find that here.
  5. If you had to live with 3 celebrities, who would you pick? Michelle Obama, Beyonce, Kelly Ripa- I think they’d be a lot of fun, and I would totally want access to their stylists and makeup artists!
  6. What are your top 3 favorite blog posts you have written? That’s tough, but I’d have to say this one on making marriage look good, my reflections one year after losing a student, and my thoughts on losing a friend.  
  7. If you had to pick a name for your next child right this second, what would it be? Boy- Esias, Girl- Elliana, Embry, Emery (see a pattern?!)
  8. What’s your favorite type of ice cream? Ben and Jerry’s Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough or Breyer’s Oreo Blast
  9. What are your everyday shoes? Hmmm…either my platinum Jack Rogers flats or my black C.Wonder flats or my red TOMS wedges
  10. What was the last purchase you made? Groceries (other than lots of goodies for Preacherman for Father’s Day)
  11. If you could go back in time and tell the 16 year old you one thing, what would it be? Greater is He that is in you, than He that is in the world.  What you’re searching for can only be found in an authentic relationship with God.  Pursue that, and you’ll have your heart’s desires.
And 11 Facts about Me:
  1. I gave my life to the Lord at age 20, and it’s been on the up and ups ever since.
  2. It’s almost impossible for me to turn down a cupcake- especially one with buttercream frosting.
  3. My favorite color is pink.
  4. I love school supplies (pens, notebooks, cutesy supplies…)
  5. I used to be a horribly clumsy, uncoordinated tomboy.
  6. I believe that unequal access to a great education is one of the biggest civil rights issues of our time.
  7. If I had to be a superhero, I’d choose to be WonderWoman.
  8. I hate paying full price for ANYTHING- the sale and clearance racks are my best friend.
  9. I love sports- particularly college basketball and college football.
  10. I LOVE to read.  I mostly read blogs now since there’s not much time other than reading for my dissertation or reading my word.
  11. Soon, I will be Dr. Erin (once I finish this dissertation!)

 

Who I’m Nominating for the Liebster Award:

  1. Chamel from Chamel’s Creations
  2. Hannah at Wonderfully Sewn
  3. Jessica at Forever Convinced
  4. Quana at The Accidental Military Wife
  5. Mionna from JustMi

 

And My 11 Questions:

  1. What’s the best dish that you cook?
  2. What was your favorite subject when you were in school/growing up?
  3. What’s your all-time favorite book? Why?
  4. If you had the opportunity to start your own business, what kind of business would it be?
  5. What’s the best piece of advice you received from your parents?
  6. When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
  7. Cats or Dogs?  Which one would you prefer as a pet?
  8. Did you play any sports while in school?  If so, which ones?
  9. If you could have an all-expenses paid vacation to anywhere in the world, where would you choose to go?
  10. What is your favorite childhood memory?
  11. Chipotle, Qdoba, or Moe’s?

Thanks again, Hayley for nominating me!  I appreciate your support!

Be encouraged!  Peace and blessings!


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Lessons from My 5K

This weekend, I ran my first 5k.  With Preacherman accompanying me the entire time, I ran (the whole time!) and finished right at my goal time!  It was tough, but it was good.

Now, in my former life, I was a runner.  Let me correct that- I was a SPRINTER.  I say that because there is a difference between being a sprinter and being a distance runner.  Preacherman, in his younger days, was a cross country champion.  He started “training” for the 5k about 3-4 weeks before the race.  I started training about 6-8 weeks before the race.  I knew that while I had running experience, it wasn’t going to be enough to get me across the finish line so I was determined to prepare accordingly.

Despite my desire to prepare accordingly, I wasn’t able to complete my running plan due to some changes in our schedule.  As a result, I came into the race on Saturday having not run (at all) since the previous Monday. I ran the first half of the race pretty easily- and felt great.  After that, I began to struggle, probably feeling my lowest between 2 and 2.5 miles.  Through it all, Preacherman was super encouraging, and never left me behind.  Though there were points where I was able to push myself, I really struggled.

As we approached the end of the race, I felt myself being able to provide a burst of energy to finish (and meet my goal time).  I finished, almost  in a full-out sprint, and was overjoyed.  One of my bucket list items was complete and I had pushed myself beyond what I believed I could do.  This experience was great physically, but also mentally.  Here’s some things that I learned from my 5K:

  1. It’s not enough to train for the race.  You have to train for the course.
  2. You need to have people on your team who’ve been where you been to encourage you for where you’re going.
  3. While it’s great to finish strong, you should train in such a way that you can be strong for the duration of the race, not just the end. 

 

Lesson 1: It’s not enough to train for the race.  You have to train for the course.

I did ALL of my training for the 5k in the gym, on the treadmill.  For about 6-8 weeks, about 3 times  a week, I hit the gym and followed my training plan.  While I did increase the speed as I was training, never once did I increase the incline.  When it came time to run the race, my body was shocked at the number of hills we were climbing.  Had I prepared for the course, instead of just preparing for the race, I would have been better equipped and could have possibly finished faster than I did.

Lesson 2: You need to have people on your team who’ve been where you’ve been to encourage you for where you’re going.

As I mentioned, Preacherman is a former cross country runner.  He ran the race with ease and confidence.  His support was integral to my finishing the race and meeting my goal.  Since he has run many 5Ks over the course of his life, he was able to effectively encourage me for the race.  If we had run separately, I probably would have finished 10 minutes slower than I did.  With his encouragement, I was able to run the race marked out for me with perseverance.

Lesson 3: While it’s great to finish strong, you should train in such a way that you can be strong for the duration of the race, not just the end. 

On the way home after the 5k, Preacherman told me how proud he was of me for my strong finish.  But then he said, “You know, if you were able to finish strong, you probably could have done more the entire time.”  I was initially shocked, but I realized that he was right.  With better, more consistent training, I would have been able to not only have more endurance, but more speed.  While I am proud of my strong finish, my goal for the next 5k (and there will be more) is to run a stronger race for the duration of the race.  I need to work on my timing and my pacing.

I’ve been mulling over these lessons for the past few days, striving to apply them not just to my running, but to my life.  In the race of life, I want to be prepared for the race and (as much as possible) the course.  I want to build a team of mentors who can encourage me as I strive to get to the next level.  I want to run a strong race with endurance to the end.  And at the end, I want to get the prize.

“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.” – 1 Corinthians 9:24-25

Be encouraged!  Peace and Blessings!