Goals and Dreams for July 2023

 

            July and August are, I think, kind of the glory months for lake dwellers. The water is beautiful and at its best, and more than ever, these are the months we want to soak up right where we are! But we still have room for goals, so here are the things I hope to accomplish this month.

ONE. Finish my study in Exodus and begin working on Leviticus. I spent the first half of the year deep-dive studying in Exodus and wasn’t sure if I wanted to continue into Leviticus or spend some time in another part of the Bible, but I’ve decided to go ahead with Leviticus. I have a few days of finishing Exodus, and then I’ll move into the next book! 

TWO. Keep our godson for an overnighter. It’s been a few weeks since he came to visit, so we’re picking him up for a quick overnight stay this month. Looking forward to seeing him and sharing him with our friends and family while we have him with us!

THREE. Enjoy some fun date nights. We have some specific date adventures lined up for this month, and I’m super excited about them. While we try to always be intentional about setting apart time for dates, sometimes they look remarkably similar to one another. We’re doing some new and different things this month!

FOUR. Enjoy my work trip. I have to be gone for a couple of days this month to attend a work event. As you know, Ryan and I are not big fans of being apart, so this will be the first time in almost two years that has happened. We’re not looking forward to that part at all, but I am looking forward to getting to spend time with my new friends from work!

FIVE. Schedule fewer things to make more time for rest. I realize the above does not make this one seem possible, but it actually is. We have a bunch of things on the calendar throughout July, but we’re actively committed to not adding much more so we can have time to enjoy our home and the lake atmosphere while it’s extra nice and warm. We’ve been working so hard for many weeks and want to enjoy the fruit of our labors as much as we can.

            How about you? Any goals for the new month ahead?

Update on June Dreams and Goals

 

I said to Ryan the other day, “Where did June GO?” It seems to have flown by SO quickly. It was a beautiful month, both in the weather it provided and in the things we were able to accomplish. I have zero regrets about this month and feel it was a fine start to the summer!

I wanted to let you know how the month’s goals went, as well as fill you in on a few extras that we managed to accomplish.

ONE. Complete my writing project for my friend. For those of you who may have missed the original goal list…I’ve been writing a baby story for a friend of ours whose son was stillborn in the spring. I had it half written and wanted to finish it this month. It is officially completely written, though I do need to make some tweaks. But I’m so glad it’s fully written!

TWO. Work on memorizing Exodus 20. I worked on this every single day this month. I listened to it in an audio format on Bible Gateway’s website, I printed out a version and hung it by my desk, and I worked on memorizing it every single day. I am thrilled to say I have it marginally learned. It’s not yet so deeply ingrained that I can say it without thinking about it pretty intently, but if I work hard and focus, I can say all 17 verses with few errors. This is HUGE for me. As I said at the beginning of the month, memorization is not my gift, so to be able to do this at all – even if it’s not firm yet – is a feat, and I’m proud of my efforts.

THREE. Figure out the new birthday trip plan. YES! This is done. I told Ryan this might be the most painful trip planning we’ve ever had. I think this is our third or fourth plan for this one getaway. We kept running into obstacles, and things just did not come together smoothly for us at all. But it’s figured out and planned, and we are looking forward to it!

FOUR. Work on my women’s conference material. I also did this! I finished writing it this week and will now begin reading through it to make sure it's exactly what it should be. I'll continue to make adjustments to it, but I'm really happy with how it came together.

FIVE. Give a kind word every day. I think this was one of my most fun adventures this month. I did this, and it became something I looked forward to every day. I am hoping this has settled in as a habit for me, and I can do it more and more without ever stopping.

Other June Accomplishments:

·         The shoreline at our house hadn’t been touched in a few years, I don’t think. The grass from the yard fizzled out into weeds close to the water and then gave way to the rocks that comprise the sea wall. Ryan worked hard this month to bring in some stone to make a more defined and beautified line between the grass and the rocks. It looks so nice!

·         We also worked on our patio to make it more of a living space so we can fully enjoy it for the remainder of the summer. Ryan had a vision and so did I, so we combined our visions and are so happy with the result!

·         Ryan was on the worship team at our church this month and really enjoyed that opportunity to serve. We also served as Scripture readers one day.

·         I completed my official training regimen at my new job (total of four weeks long) – although the learning will certainly continue indefinitely. I am thankful for all I’ve been able to learn in a short time and am committed to learning more and more.

·         We successfully completed (and placed!) in the Amazing Race in our county. I was too terrified to make it a goal at the start of the month, but I am sure proud of us for doing it!

·         We hosted my family for Father’s Day (a little after the fact) and that same day, we also hosted our small group. It was fun to be a hostess for the day!

·         I made a couple of work-related trips this month. Ryan accompanied me to an evening community-wide meeting in southwest Ohio, and we made a date night of it. Then earlier this week, I drove to the main office to meet in person the people who work there!

·         We tightened up our eating habits this month. Much less sugar intake, many more vegetables consumed, and even a few more workouts than months gone by. I feel SO much better than I did. It’s amazing what happens in the first few weeks of changing up an eating plan. Even before anything looks different on the outside, so much feels better on the inside!

H    How did your June goals go?

Field Trip

 

It is a blessing not lost on me that I have the opportunity to work almost exclusively remotely in my new role. We have learned that this is the best fit for our family in this season, and I am thankful for the flexibility to accomplish more in each day through remote work.

            But now and then I do have to travel to other locations to participate in things that are happening at work, and yesterday was just such a day. I call them field trips, because that just sounds fun. I may always be little more than an overgrown kiddo.

            I was thankful for a good weather day to drive. It didn’t rain, but we were under a thick cloud of haze all day, so it was overcast and nap-inducing as I made my way along the road. Thank goodness for music and prayer!

            I drove about two and a half hours each way yesterday, starting out at 6:30 in the morning. It reminded me of my radio days when each work day found me on the road at 6:45. Whew! How did I do that every day? I also thanked the Lord for the invention of GPS that talks. I remember the days before GPS, when I clutched Map Quest printouts over the steering wheel and tried to navigate my way – reading and driving. I much prefer the calming voice telling me, “At the next light, use the middle lane to continue straight.”

            I survived three roundabouts and arrived at my destination – the LifeWise main office.

            I was excited to see in person the coworkers I’ve met over virtual meetings in the last six weeks. I was excited to sit through presentations I first sat through during my first couple of days of work and see how much I’ve learned in the time that has elapsed. Isn't it always encouraging (with anything in life - work or not) to be able to look back and see growth?

            I was able to eat together with some of the new friends I spend time with (virtually) every day. I met new friends I hadn’t known before, and that was fun, too.

            I had my official work head shot taken (thank You, Lord, for a decent hair day!) and by the time I came back home, I felt like I’d had a productive and encouraging day. Please note: the photo below is not the official head shot. It was my half of a 100-mile-distance coffee date with Ryan. He sent me his coffee selfie and I sent him mine. 

            There will be more field trips in the future, but yesterday was a fine start!

Permission

 

When I was single, I learned that sometimes people mistake singleness for boredom. It’s easy to assume that if a girl doesn’t have the obligations and commitments that accompany marriage and parenthood, surely she must be bored.

            This girl was rarely bored.

            For one thing, singleness meant I shouldered all the chores myself. I owned a home, so all the yard care, snow removal, and updates were mine to do or oversee. I also was in charge of the cooking, cleaning, grocery shopping, and everything that came with the upkeep of the inside of the house. Then I had car maintenance and work responsibilities and involvement in church – all mine. I don’t say those things to complain, but simply to say that being outside a relationship didn’t lessen my commitments. It may have actually increased them!

            Ryan and I have learned that being married with no children brings the same mindset from others sometimes. We don’t have kids, so we aren’t running a taxi or committed to practices and games or out making memories with our little ones. We might be able to divide the load of homeownership and other chores, but we still actually don’t have unlimited time for everything.

            (I used to think that unlimited time thing came with retirement, but some retired people are the busiest I’ve ever met!)

            I think the bottom line truth is that being part of this human race means we all have responsibilities. Being in or out of a relationship, having children or not, having pets or not, having a full-time job or staying home doesn’t change the fact that we all have things to do.

            Some of those things are our obligations. Some are our choices. Which camp they fall into doesn’t matter. They still count as meaningful.

            Ryan and I are working hard to find the balance in this season of our lives. When we were first married, both our jobs dictated our schedules. I worked many events with the radio station, and Ryan worked about half the weekends and most holidays every year. Then our schedules were somewhat governed by the needs of our families – during my mom’s surgeries and Ryan’s mom’s illness. Then our schedules were entirely run by work again when we were at WillowBridge. Even though we were able to choose which days out of the month we wanted to have as a weekend (which was THE BEST), the days we were working were fully engulfed in work – all the way around the clock.

            Now we’re learning to balance dedicated work time and dedicated family time. We’ve learned the importance and necessity of balance and boundaries and how to enforce both. We’re also embarking on a new adventure to protect a number of weekends each year so we can have time for the things that always get pushed aside in the name of “no time.”

            Sleeping. Writing. Working around the house. Date adventures. Rest for body and soul.

            I know we are not alone in this. I know there are those out there – single, married, parents, empty nesters, retirees, all categories – who rush from one thing to the next all the time and forfeit things that truly matter because they can’t bring themselves to claim time for nothing. But it’s not nothing. Sleeping does matter. Hobbies do matter. Investing in your home’s upkeep does matter. Spending time with friends or family does matter. Even doing nothing for the sake of sanity does matter.

            Consider this your permission to make personal time a priority. Name it something that sounds important and write it on the calendar. In so doing, it becomes an appointment you must keep. What was it Mark Lowry said years ago in a comedy sketch? “I named my bed The Word, and now when people call and want me to come hang out with them, I say, I can’t. I’m in The Word.” Okay so maybe that one is a stretch. But seriously, if you find yourself struggling to keep a personal time appointment because it “isn’t really anything,” then name it and own it. And when someone asks what you’re doing, you can say your fancy name and move forward in confidence that what you’re making time for really does matter. Even if no one else understands it – it matters because it matters to you.

            This is your permission!

Belated Father's Day

 

My parents wanted to see the lake in its summer bliss, so we made plans to host Father’s Day here this past Saturday. My sister and brother-in-law had planned to also come, but they ended up not being able to join us. Mom and Dad still came, and I think they enjoyed themselves!

            I made strawberry shortcake and macaroni and cheese, and Ryan found a marinade he wanted to use on chicken before he grilled it. (We also had burgers.) Mom brought some fresh veggies, and it was a full and delicious meal, I thought!

            Lexi, of course, was beside herself to see them, and Dad was pretty glad to see her! They sat by the lake and enjoyed the view while we gathered up the food to eat. It was the perfect day for eating outside. Strawberry shortcake in the summer by the lake…can’t beat that.

            They looked at the garden, and Dad walked out to the pier, and we waved at some pontoons that went by while we were out.

            We did a couple of group pictures, and that was the day! I was grateful for the opportunity to share the day with them and to host another family holiday. Now that we live farther away, it’s a little more challenging to do the hosting!

            Thanks, Mom and Dad, for making the drive to see the lake!

Sunday Sentiments

 

I’m writing this to you at 11:00 on Saturday night. I’m sitting in our living room with Lexi passed out on the couch beside me. Ryan is tidying up inside and out, which I tried to help with longer, but he told me to take time to write, so here I am.

            What a beautifully full day it’s been. My feet and eyes are tired, but my heart is overflowing with joy.

            Today we hosted back-to-back guests, and it was nothing but pure joy.

            I haven’t uploaded or edited pictures yet, but I can see all of it in my mind as I sit to write to you.

            My parents drove over to have a belated Father’s Day lunch here at the lake. They’ve been here before, but they wanted to see the lake in the warmth of summer, and my goodness, the Lord delivered the most beautiful day for them to enjoy. It was warm (but not unbearably warm) and sunny, and the lake was so blue. They sat on the patio and commented over and over how serene it felt. Lexi ran from one to the other, Sighing with delight at extra attention.

            Ryan grilled burgers and chicken, and I made macaroni and cheese and strawberry shortcake – all from scratch. (Hadn’t pulled out those two recipes for a while, but they did not disappoint!)

            We waved at the pontoons driving by, listened to golf carts on the road, and enjoyed the slight breeze. They toured the mini-garden, Dad walked out on the pier, and we had a good time visiting together.

            They left in the middle of the afternoon, and a couple of hours later, our small group came over for dinner. Ryan grilled more meat, the macaroni and cheese double batch kept going, and our friends brought a few more treats to round out the meal.

            We sat outside and ate, a few people played cornhole, the kids went swimming, a few went kayaking, and once the sun disappeared, we lit the tiki torches and fire pit and made s’mores to go with our coffee.

            We talked until late – when our friends all had to go (even though they said they didn’t want to) – and then we pulled in the things we didn’t want to sit in the storms mentioned in today’s forecast.

            So many stories and conversations. So much laughter. So many impromptu games for the kiddos. It was very good.

            We look forward to more days like today. We look forward to stories and sunsets and s’mores.

Saturday Suggestions

ONE. 

If you’re traveling this summer and you need some ideas for how to eat your meals and snacks from a hotel room with limited prep materials, this post has several great ideas! Some will require working ahead before you leave home, but it sure beats eating out of a vending machine – or eating every single meal out! You can make adjustments for allergies or choosing healthy options, but this is a fantastic springboard.

TWO. 

Did you know you can buy insulated reusable storage containers for homemade ice cream? I think these are pretty cute! (I haven’t had any homemade ice cream yet this summer, but I hope I do! It really is one of my favorite things. Last year we had it at our small group one night, and it was so delicious.)

THREE. 

I think it was Paula that asked a while ago about meal planning tips. I’m ever changing how I do that, but I stumbled on this gold mine of ONE THOUSAND RECIPES that you can use in your meal planning. Clearly I cannot vouch for making these, but if you love browsing recipes, this will keep you busy for a while.

FOUR. 

Yesterday I wrote about remembering to rest, and while this post isn’t all about rest in general, it is about simplicity and how sometimes even hard work can bring simplicity and rest. I enjoyed the words and thought I’d share them with you today!

FIVE. 

Well, this is fun! You’ve probably seen (and I probably shared at some point along the way) the map someone created back in 2015 to give you an idea of how to travel the US to stay in 70 degree temps throughout the year. Well, now there is a NEW version of the map! New routes and new ideas! How fun! You know me…always a sucker for a good travel map. Might need to do some new dreaming here!

SIX. 

Last week I shared with you the idea of a 101 things in 1001 days post, and now they’re popping up all over for me in Pinterest. I found another one that had some inspiring ideas on it. Sharing this one today! Fun fact: I’ve done 50 of her goals in my lifetime. Maybe not in 1001 days, but I’ve done 50 of them!

Don't Forget to Rest

 

One of my favorite things about living on the lake is watching the evening pontoon parade. It’s not a real parade, of course. But after dinner each night, I see them start to make their way around the lake. I haven’t learned them all yet, but I am sure by the end of the summer, I’ll be able to match the pontoon to the neighbor.

            They slice quietly through the water, waving as they make their way past our pier. No hurry. Just enjoyment.

            We wave back from our chairs overlooking the water, usually sipping coffee while we sit.

            We try not to think about our to-do list and instead embrace the opportunity to sit quietly and enjoy.

            We’re driven people. We love a good list and we love crossing off every item on that list. We love to make the most of the daylight hours. But we’re learning to rest. We’re learning to sit and wave. We’re learning to smell the freshly cut grass. We’re learning to shoot the breeze with the neighbors while they sit on their own patio.

            We remind ourselves that eventually darkness will fall early and the nights will be cold, and we’ll wish we could sit on the patio and wave at pontoons. So we choose to do it right now because we can.

            I’ll always love productivity and encourage people to embrace it, but this place is teaching me to remember rest. It’s teaching me to slow down and appreciate sunsets and rippling water.

            Next week you’ll come here and read about an update on my June goals and then I’ll share some for July. (I don’t even know yet what all that entails.) But even though I’m still making goals, I’m intent on remembering to rest.

            So for today, I encourage you to look away from the list and toward the rest – whatever that looks like for you. Make room for it. You’ll be so glad you did.

Road Trip Snacks!

 

I saw a quote that said, “There’s no joy like the kind you feel when you’re shopping for snacks for a road trip.” I’m not sure if that stems from the freedom of buying fun food or the knowledge that vacation looms, but either way, there’s truth to it!

            I remember when Ryan and I were about to leave for our wedding/honeymoon, and one of my work friends (Hi, Sheryl!) put together this amazing gift bag of snacks and restaurant gift cards for us to enjoy on our way down and back. I would have to say in that case, there was no joy like the kind we felt when we were gifted snacks for a road trip and didn’t have to worry about buying our own. May I submit to you that when you don’t know what to give someone for a gift, you can just think of them at road trip time and gift them some snacks!

            For us, there’s the push and pull of wanting some fun things to eat while we drive and knowing that we need to be responsible in our snacking, too. So maybe we only get half the joy of the snack shopping.

            When it comes to healthy road snacks, Ryan likes bananas, which are easy enough to pack and consume, but I don’t love the smell of bananas, so when it’s all over, I’m eager for a stop so we can ditch the peel! He also likes apples, because he doesn’t mind biting into them to eat them. I’m an apple slice girl, so I usually don’t eat them until we’re stopped at our destination. But when it comes to fruit…grapes make a perfect road trip snack, I think.

            I remember the time we thought we had the stamina for an all-nighter road trip out to my niece’s wedding in Kansas. We weren’t quite as tough as we thought, it turned out. We stayed awake together as long as we could, and then I napped while Ryan drove. When it was my turn to drive, it was deep into the dark of night and there weren’t many cars on the road anymore. The longer I went and the later it got, the more exhausted I felt. I cranked the air and reached behind me for the grapes and just started eating. Turns out grapes don’t have caffeine. Not long after we entered Wichita, I pulled into the parking lot of (I think) a nursing home and waved the white flag. No more grapes. Just let me sleep.

            I almost always make a batch of energy balls before a trip, because those make great car snacks, and they keep us pretty full. And sometimes I make another kind of treat – like no-bake cookies or some other kind of cookie.

            We get salty stuff too: pretzels (Peanut butter stuffed for me!) and extra toasty cheese crackers.

            I used to always buy combos for road trip snacks, with the cheddar cheese filling being my favorite. I was soured on those after a filterless lady saw me eating some before our wedding reception and asked if I really thought that was a good idea to consume when I knew I needed to fit into my dress. Thanks for that!

            Back in the days when I chose not to worry about my figure – and the short period of time when I didn’t have to worry about it – my road trip snacks of choice were Hostess cupcakes (the chocolate ones with the white icing swirl on top), Combos, and a McDonald’s frappe. I consumed so many of all those things and can still taste them (with joy).

            Trail mix is another road trip favorite. When we went to my family’s vacation last summer, we packed a big bag of indulgent trail mix from Aldi, which is our go-to pick. We shared some with my sister and brother-in-law and I found out they still like to buy that now and then. (Perhaps there is no joy like introducing someone you love to something you love!)

            For the most part, we stick to water and coffee on our road trips, much like we do at home, but we do treat ourselves to Cokes now and then – and the road trip ultimate: frozen Coke. It’s the only way I can make it last longer than half a second. I’m usually known to indulge in a frappe or milkshake at some point on a trip. I’d drink them every day of my life if I could get away with it. LOVE THEM.

            All this food talk has me hungry (see what I did there?) for a road trip! What’s your favorite road snack?

Sanctuary

 

            Our room, I knew, would be small. This house holds two bedrooms of identical size, and they aren’t huge. But then again, back in the day, houses didn’t even have set-aside bedrooms. One-room cabins and cottages paved the way in this country. I don’t know that I’m ready to scale back to no rooms, but when did the bedrooms start becoming entire house-sized suites? And do we really need something that grand?

            We knew when we moved here, we would lose a lot of square footage in our master bedroom, but we also knew we could make it a sanctuary. Not like a church, of course. We think of that when we hear the word sanctuary, but the word actually means a place of refuge and protection. That was what we wanted to create.

            Regardless of how much room we had, we wanted it to be a place that represented safety, comfort, and love. A place where we could sleep well at night and awaken the next morning, refreshed and ready to tackle a full day’s work.

            What makes a sanctuary?

            For us, it meant a place that told our story. Pictures of our life together. Reminders of our commitment to one another.

            Reminders of the sheer joy that commitment is in our lives.

            Reminders of the sweetest moments we’ve shared. (Those rose petals are all forty roses Ryan gave me at my fortieth birthday party.)

            Reminders of what we are called to do in this life. This journal holds notes for a book I want to write.

            Reminders of the people who shaped us. These rocks were the guest book at our wedding and hold the names of those who witnessed our union that day.

            Reminders that dreams matter, and we shouldn’t give up on them even if we don’t see how they can possibly come to pass.

            Reminders of home and travel and how dearly we love them both.

            This is our sanctuary. This is the place with the calming comforter over the bed, where we can sink in deeply at night and sleep well. This is the place we can awaken and look over the water in the morning. This is the place where some of our best conversations take place late at night when the work is done and we finally exhale. This is where Lexi finally exhales after living life to the fullest. This is where Braeya prefers to live most of the time. 

            It’s small, but it’s home. It's a sanctuary, and we love it. 

Bekah's Bookshelf

 

Reading has been a bit more challenging lately as I’ve balanced learning my new role at work and all the summery things that need to be done here at home. But I do have two more books to tell you about!

            When I was hired at my new job with LifeWise Academy, I received a little swag bag of gifts, including a t-shirt, journal, pen, and the founder’s new book called During School Hours. Happily, the book bore a bright red cover (the main color for LifeWise), and that just so happened to fulfill a category on my reading challenge. Yes! There was a category for a book with a red cover!

            The just-released book tells the why and the how of LifeWise Academy and provided not only compelling and convicting words, but also great training for me as I began my new job.

            The title of the book comes from the key phrase to the mission of LifeWise, which is that the program can take place During School Hours. It is not a before or after school program.

            The book is broken up in two main sections. The first explains why LifeWise is reinstalling religious education. In order to understand that, we first have to understand why it was removed and the ramifications from that. There was a lot of interesting history about our nation and education system to be found in that portion of the book, and I appreciated the tone in which it was shared, because I know that can be a very sensitive topic among many!

            From there, the remainder of the book explains the released time religious instruction ruling by the Supreme Court and how this can work in schools across the country. It also explains how LifeWise Academy was born and what it looks like as of right now. (And it’s changing every day!)

            Joel, the founder of the organization, spent the first part of his career as a motivational speaker, and that comes across most pleasantly in his writing too. He’s engaging, easy to read, and even the history parts of the book are welcoming and not dry.

            If you’re interested in learning more about LifeWise as a whole, what it would be like to have in your community, or how you can get involved, this book explains it all. Joel has many great videos and podcasts you could also watch/listen to if reading isn’t your thing, but if you need to be able to go back to something and see it in print again, the book is a great choice. I’m so glad he wrote it and that it came out right when I was joining the team, so I could learn from it as I trained!

            My next read wasn’t part of my book challenge, but it involved a book that caught my attention when I saw it mentioned on a post somewhere recently. It’s called A Homemade Life and is written by Molly Wizenberg. I’d never heard of her before, but apparently she’s well known as an author and food blogger.

            The book is a recipe memoir and was the one I referenced the other day as I shared about our own recipe stories. Molly writes about her life from childhood onward and shares some of the recipes associated with her most poignant memories. (And the recipes are normal things – not weird stuff that no one would ever try.)

            I really loved her writing style and enjoyed reading about her adventures throughout her life. She and I are about the same age, and we both wrestle with anxiety, so I found myself nodding at some of her experiences. (The similarities ended when she moved to France. Probably won’t have that in common, ever, but I still enjoyed reading about it!) I appreciated the reminder of how much our recipes and kitchen lives shape us, and the whole experience of reading her book has inspired me to want to work harder at my own writing. I appreciate the book for that most of all, but I also appreciated the sheer enjoyment it brought as I made my way through the chapters.

            I will probably try one or two of the recipes, just for fun. Some of them are a little outside my comfort zone, but most sounded pretty delicious!

            If you enjoy food and cozy reading, I think you would really love this book. If you love writing, it might just inspire you! There are a few words peppered throughout that I could have lived without, but the majority of the book is clean.

The Amazing Race

 

If you missed yesterday’s post, you might want to go back and see the really meaningful way God met me in my nervousness about participating in our county’s version of The Amazing Race this past weekend.

            Probably most of you are familiar with the TV show by the same name. I’ve actually never watched it, but I have a friend who is a huge fan, so I was familiar with the general premise of the show. Our event Saturday is (clearly) a scaled-back version of the TV show.

            We registered in teams of four in this fundraising event that supported three local charities. Each team had to pay a base entry fee, but the team who turned in the most money got a five minute head start on the race. (Not us.) There were also a couple of advantages for fundraising winners #2 and #3. (Also not us.)

            They gave us shirts to wear, a sign to display in our car window that said we were race participants, and a cold-packed lunch to keep in our vehicle to eat in transit. We all met up at the county fairgrounds to get started. Every team chose a color at random, and they gave us an envelope of that color holding our first challenge address. They had organized all the routes so that the teams were heading in all different directions around the county and we didn’t all end up at the same place at the same time. We were the red team.

            As I said yesterday, Ryan and I were on a team with another couple from our church, and they said it was okay if I shared our pictures with you! (Sad news on the picture front: the rules prohibited the use of cell phones during the challenges. We could use them for a GPS in our car, but not during a challenge. So I have NO pictures from any challenges unless the site hosts took a picture. So far I’ve only found one from a site host online. Maybe more will surface eventually.)

            Here are some pre-race pictures:

            The race included 20 challenges in all. You could forfeit one if you paid an extra $50 at the location when you arrived to it, and I heard many teams did that, but we did every single challenge. I was pretty proud of that!

            I won’t bore you with the full list of everything we did, but I’ll tell you a few highlights here in a moment. But before I do, I’ll tell you that some challenges required all four of us to work together – either in unison as a team or individually in a relay fashion. Other challenges only required two people to participate while some took a break. Some challenges were very physical and others were more intellectual. And some were just fun, whimsical sorts of things.

            Our overall time mattered, of course, on how we placed, but every team also had the ability to have minutes subtracted from their time if they completed a challenge in under so many minutes or if they did something to make the challenge harder (and succeeded). In the end, we were (I think) the fourth team to arrive back, but we had almost an hour’s worth of minutes we could subtract, because we worked really hard at every single stop along the way!

            Here are some of the things we had to do:

·         The two guys kayaked around a bay (in our lake!) to find and retrieve some flags

·         All of us went to a gym and had to make a certain number of layups, free throws, three pointers, and we got a bonus if anyone could make a half-court shot. (Ryan did!)

·         At a church, we did a scavenger hunt where all the clues were in Bible verses. My mad skills in looking up verses from a book-Bible (no phones!) came in handy.

·         At a nursery, we had to alphabetize perennials based on their Latin names. My alphabetizing skills surfaced there!

·         At a fitness center, we each had to do two skills. Turns out no one in our group other than me liked to plank! Ryan SMASHED it on the rowing machine. All of us did really well here. I was proud of us!

·         We had to work together at a fire station to turn water on from the truck, run the hose, and use the water to knock a ball off a cone.

·         We had to make a hospital bed while holding hands.

·         At another fitness center, we did a mini triathlon.

    Here are a couple of pictures I found online:

During the race, I learned the following things about myself:

·         I can do more than I think I can.

·         I cannot hammer nails into a board.

·         I cannot do pickle juice shots.

·         Banana pudding with olives in it is disgusting.

It took us five hours to complete the race, and after all points were calculated, we came in SECOND!!!! I cried when it was over, not because we placed, but because I did something I never thought I could accomplish. For our teammates, this event was a bucket list item. I never dreamed it could BE a bucket list item for me, but it sure is something I’m proud of myself for attempting!