weekend update {memorial day}

this weekend was full. the good kind. filled with great time with heart friends, vintage market days, long walks with great surprises, a road trip, a new coffee shop with this wall decor done with sharpies... and that was only friday and saturday! three day weekends are the best because you can squeeze a whole lot of good into them, yet still feel rested afterwards. sunday and monday were filled with new friends, paddle boards, jet skis, great food, great company, late night talks, half of the dark knight, and hours of volleyball. solid weekend if I do say so myself **read in Jay-Z voice**

coming soon: how to {long runs}, weekend update {home}, & the in-between 

sorry not sorry

here's to the three-day weekend, heart friends, spontaneity, meeting new people, being outside, & LIVING life! happy weekend, lovelies!

training

running and I have a love-hate relationship. I love it during the late spring, summer, and early fall... basically, as long as I can wear shorts. the cold weather hits, and it's just a miserable experience for me. that is one of the reasons I decided my next half would be in August. this is week two of official training. so far, so good. last saturday was the first "long run" of 4 miles. afterwards, I felt like I could continue running. always a good sign. this week's long run is a 5-miler, and I'm actually excited to tackle that distance again! 

I go back and forth on whether I like listening to music while running, but spotify changed it for me this past week. I'm loving getting introduced to new music while also getting to make my own play-lists! another running app that has been an old-faithful is RunKeeper. it tracks your routes, how far you have gone, what your pace is, and will save all of that information to show you how you're improving. it's the best! so if you're a new runner, I would highly recommend getting those to up your running game.

some of my fav running songs:
1. anything Beyonce #flawless
2. MKTO - classic
3. Nikki Williams - glowing
4. Andy Mineo - wild thing, ago, & the saints
5. a day to remember
6. up-beat country music for long runs
there's more, but I'll spare you how long that list could get :) 

weekend update

this past weekend was just what I needed to close out this past week. friday night I went with some friends to a concert at George's Majestic in fayetteville... I didn't know the artists, but it was a fun night out with friends, music, & dancing. all three of which I am always down for! saturday I went for the first long run of my half-marathon training **grand total of 4 miles** which felt incredible! this past week of running has been the best since getting back into it. I believe that running during warm weather should be considered a drug. it's intoxicating, and always draws me back for more. **am I crazy? don't answer that...**

the rest of saturday was a different story. this past week I have been somewhere between breaking down and numb. I couldn't quite put my finger on why I was feeling that way **oh, maybe it's this massive life transition that's rapidly approaching**, but it finally hit me after a quick Target run. **side note: I really might have a problem when it comes to Target** as soon as my front door closed, a flood of emotion hit me and I began crying. I still haven't begun to process all of the different thoughts that were coming at me during that break down or the one later that night in bed, but I do feel a little better. this morning at church, Simon spoke about finding your identity in Christ and not in all the other things that can control you. I believe that a huge part of my breakdown was fear of not being good enough, in my own eyes, in my parent's eyes, in the world's eyes through this whole transition. I was going to the world for my identity and not who God says I am in Him. worst. this week I will be holding fast to the truth that I am His. In Him, I have immense value. He will never leave more or forsake me. the only place I will ever find true satisfaction is in His will, His good, pleasing and perfect will. so here's to being reminded of truth daily. happy monday.

graduation season

between people I love graduating college & littles I love graduating high school, it's been a crazy month of May! when I was at both of these crossroads, nervousness of the unknown & excitement for a change consumed me. some days were more excitement than others, but I learned SO MUCH right after both of these crossroads. so, here's to y'all...

first, Tiffany. this is my brother's beautiful girlfriend, fellow Beyoncé lover, ginger, nerts shark, sans cheese partner, & lover of all things local. she loves Jesus & other people so well, and I am encouraged by her daily. you are headed into the last year of your MAT program at TCU (which I guess I'll say "go frogs" for you) & into a year of crazy changes. the first year after undergrad is crazy because that's when all your friends move & lots of BIG life changes begin to happen. you got this, sister! if anyone can rock this year, it's you :)

next, my seesters. the middle one is actually my biological sister(Elaine), if you can imagine that. the other two are my god-sisters, Kaylee & Kelsey. these girls are the sweetest, most talented, loving, beautiful-hearted young ladies I know. it blesses & encourages me the way they love Jesus as high school students, & how I know they are going to do the same in college. I could go on-and-on about these three, but I'll spare you the even longer novel this would be. I've known each of y'all since the days you were born, and it is crazy to me that y'all are so OLD! **just kidding, because that would make me really old** you have grown into beautiful women on the inside & out... I am so proud of the decisions y'all make & how you love others so well! my prayer for y'all as you head to different campuses this fall is that God provides great community who you will grow with & from throughout the next four years! so, here's to you....from left to right: sic 'em bears, woo pig, & gig 'em.

to my bville girlies: y'all have made the past 2 years the best! it's crazy to think that y'all are graduating & spreading out all over the country. Jordyn & I have been so blessed by the way y'all are seeking to honor & glorify the Lord in every part of your lives. how is it graduation time already?? I am so incredibly proud of the way y'all are making decisions, and how much you each have grown over the past couple years. remember, y'all are treasures!

 kirsty, you are such a gem. I love that real-talk is your native language, that you get excited about learning new things in God's Word, & that you have a heart for discipleship. you light up a room as soon as you walk in & are a leader in everything you are involved in. linden, you are brilliant. you have challenged me to know my Bible better and think through things in different ways. your passion for others to know God & love Him constantly pushes me to do the same... and I'm the one who is supposed to be your leader ha! God has huge plans for you, & I am so excited to watch how they unfold. linden, your love to God's Word and to make His name more famous challenges me all the time. I love having theoretical conversations with you at Kennedy & cannot even wait to see the BIG plans God has for your life! madison, you are hilarious even though you don't say much. how fitting it was that I found out through your mom that you had been dating someone for like 5 months! I am so excited for this new chapter for you in North Carolina with your parents & can't wait to see how you love other young girls & train them to know Jesus. erin, your smile is contagious. you think through things before acting & seek to honor God in everything you do. mizzou does not know what's comin for them :) you are a natural leader and your heart for others shines so brightly. I am so excited to see God continue to grow you in the next four years into a woman after His own heart! alexa, you're a ten. I love going to pressroom with you & hearing your heart. you're love for all things off-beat & local makes my heart smile. I cannot wait to see how God uses you on the swim team next year, sister! go make some waves :) carly, your joy is contagious! I love your passion for the simple things in life & the way you make people smile. your heart for others is rare & the way you connect and see value in everyone is such a gift! y'all are each going to knock it out of the park in college, & I am so blessed to be able to walk alongside each of you!

my thoughts {goodbyes}

goodbyes are one of the hardest things for me. in the past, I have not done these well, & it's actually cost me a few friendships. there is a balance between being overly dramatic with them or being cold-hearted, & I tend to lean more towards the cold-hearted side. how is one supposed to balance these things well? it's not that I am a robot or have a black, cold heart, but I am uncomfortable with showing a lot of emotion in front of others. typically, I become "numb" inside when I'm going through something hard, like goodbyes. this numbness looks like happy & care-free on the outside, but it can come across as fake or heartless.

fortunately, I have had the chance to slowly process these goodbyes since last October when I realized there would actually be goodbyes. there have been breakdowns & sad days mixed with the excitement & nervous energy of the unknown. I keep telling people, "this isn't goodbye! you aren't rid of me that easily!", but while that is 100% true, I also have moved around enough to know that those relationships change. that kind of change is hard. it's the change in relationships that will no-doubt cause sadness in the days to come, but for right now, I'm trying not to focus on that. I'm choosing to focus on today & squeeze as much out of these today's as I can because there's no benefit in being sad now! there is, however, benefit in savoring every moment I get with these people I will miss so much later because today I live life with them! and tomorrow? well, tomorrow we will cross that bridge when it comes.

coming soon: graduation season, training, & {yoga} lately

birthday post

so I turned twenty-five today. I am seriously blessed with the best when it comes to friends! they know me all too well that I'd rather have a Beyoncé cake than anything with happy birthday, & I love it. when I was little, it felt weird on my birthday because I never felt any older or different. I always wondered what it would be like to actually FEEL a different age, and today I know. twenty-five sounds ancient to junior high kids. to people in college it sounds like you have your life together. to people around my age, it is a fun, maturing year. to those older than me, it sounds young & like I've got my whole life ahead of me. I can officially say that I feel all of those things at once, and it's just strange. the name behind this blog is based off of the goals I made for "before twenty-five". my goals were: 1. become more flexible (specifically do the splits), 2. read a book per month, & 3. become more spontaneous. honestly, the one I did the best in was becoming more spontaneous & I have my incredible friends to thank for that! the splits haven't happened... YET, but you better believe I'll get those down soon **I'm soooo close** reading a book per month did not happen, but I'm going to blame that one on studying for the LSAT.

I enjoyed twenty-four, and I believe a huge part of that was figuring out what my goals for the year were. so, I will be doing that again. since I will begin law school this August, these goals are going to be less academic & more all-around health based. here they go: 1. run two half-marathons (first one is 8/29 in Virginia Beach), 2. standing splits & king cobra backbend, 3. take a full day once per month to breath & not think about school, 4. take an overnight trip alone, & 5. wear high heels & dress nice whenever I feel like it. here's to another year of growing & living life to the fullest!!