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another year older.

i went to bed at 9:30 on my 27th birthday. my 21 year old self would be so embarassed by this statement.

i guess its how you spend the hours of your birthday celebrating not how many. and spending the better part of the morning on a roof nailing shingles took its toll. plus it helped knowing that i'd be celebrating in indiana and disney world in the days/weeks to come. but don't get me wrong, the first words out of my mouth on sunday morning were "my birthday's over!" with a full on pout because it would be another whole year before it was november 19th again.

anyways, the grown up me took this birthday easy and enjoyed working alongside volunteers and homebuyers, hanging out with the dog and enjoying a nice date tucked in a dark booth in Carabba's sipping yummy sangria.

queen of the couch

bailey guarded the couch while i opened presents, including a card with her paw print. and i'm so lucky because i got everything i wanted and more. lovely gifts, thoughtful cards, a loving family and great friends nearby and far away. and i stuck my toes in the ocean. what more could a girl ask for?

windblown but grateful to be at the beach on nov 19

oh yea, a cook OUT at the beach surrounded by some of those lovely nearby friends. beacuse everyone knows me so well, there were more desserts than food. and it was perfect.

even if i did go to bed early.

because i'm blessed. and birthdays are a time to celebrate that. and if i focus on celebrating all that i have, i won't focus on how many years it took to get me here. (27 is scarily close to 3-0). i love that my birthday is right before thanksgiving because its a full week of being thankful. and lots of great dessert.

i build.

since i haven't had any major running revelations since the last post (don't fret, i've done many miles since then) i thought i would expand on my belief in the habitat mission.

i was blessed with many wonderful friends in college. one in particular helped change the path of my life and i'm so grateful for chalee, who i first met at rugby when we both briefly "played". chalee was always involved in something on campus, doing good for others. that year, she was leading the spring break trip to work for Habitat in miami. $150 for a week in miami? count me in.

we spent that week painting window frames, scraping the paint, repainting the frames, and cleaning our paint brushes. we stayed in a house with no furniture and two bathrooms for 16 people. not very glamorous, but i was hooked. the next year i went to jacksonville and my senior year i led a trip to flagler beach.
 

flagler beach build



in jacksonville i met americorps member who lived in a Habitat house and worked for the affiliate for a living stipend and an educational award. i set a goal to do a year of service after graduation and i did from 2007-2008 at indian river Habitat and i've been here ever since. even though i'm a paid staffer now i still like to get out on the build site and have participated in builds in mississippi, texas, georgia and iowa. each time more blessed than the last.

i build for the families. i was fortunate enough to grow up in a safe, cozy, stable home. not everyone is that lucky. a Habitat home gives a family a chance for stability. it gives kids a place to call home. a room of their own. i'm helping build their "forever home." how neat.

my little friend from africa checks out the view from his first very own room

i build because it challenges me. roofs scares me but i get up there because getting outside of your comfort zone is important. saturday i nailed through metal. a feat i thought impossible but with a little patience and some perseverance (and a very tired arm) i finished more than i thought i could. i'm always amazed how much i can do when i just keep trying. what important life lessons.

i build because the people i've met. i've made some wonderful friends on site. i've met the families whose stories made me grateful for my own family.

i build to see the fruits of my labor. i build every home as if it was my own.

i build because doing for others actually does more for me.

i build to give someone else a brighter future. because building has given me a brighter one.
 

so this saturday, on my 27th birthday, i will build and challenge all my friends to build with me (wherever you are!) because i can't think of a better way to celebrate life than to help improve others. i'm also going to add building overseas to my bucket list.

what will you build?

sunday runday.

i'm not a particularly religious person. this may shock some who know that i work for a christian ministry. basically i work for habitat because i LOVE the mission of habitat and knowing that we are profiding safe, decent "forever homes" for families in need. but more on that later.

every day on site and in meetings i'm asked to lead prayer and i do it. i say how thankful i am for the volunteers, the opportunity to serve and for safety. i mean every word. sometimes i'm asked which church i attend and i mumble something about changing churches, looking for the right fit. but the truth is, sunday long runs are my church.

every sunday morning i wake up bright and early (or really my dog wakes me up) and head to the beachside for a long run. somedays it takes changing into my running clothes and getting in the car before i talk myself out of it, but i'm always thankful once i'm out there.

sunday runs are one long prayer. a chance for me to think about the week behind me and the one ahead. i think about how thankful i am for my friends, family, and all the opportunities life has given me. i like to look around and drink everything in. the sunrise over the bridge, the way the ocean looks in the morning. (you've never seen anything like the sky in florida some days). this is all i need to know that i'm part of something much bigger than me.

i don't get that sitting in an uncomfortable church pew singing hymns i don't understand and listening to a sermon that i can't follow. sunday runs leave me refreshed, humble, and thankful...and just a little sore. but i get more out of them then any church i've been to. my church home is the route i chose to run. the membership is small, but its just the way i like it.

the brunch that follows isn't bad either, because i've earned it!

i run.

i've always had a love hate relationship with running. throughout grade school i was a dancer. i did NOT run. i think my PR was a 14 minute mile.

then keith died. i was a junior in college. he was a friend and co-worker and first person i knew well that died. he was too young. and so his friends planned a 5k in his memory and set up a scholarship fund. so i set up a goal to complete it. i had never run more than a mile consecutively. i trained on tredmills in our campus gym throughout the winter. it took me months to get there but it gave me purpose. i ran the first mile of that 5k in 7 minutes. needless to say, the rest of the race was difficult but i finished. and it felt good.

then i lost my purpose, so i set a new goal. a half marathon. clearly the next logical step after you finally are able to run 3 miles at once, is to try and run 13. i spent the rest of the summer "training" which meant i'd try to run for an hour at a time. i ran up down all the streets in sayville. when i got back to school in virginia, i ran all over fredericksburg. i was ready.

i convinced my friend brandon to go with me, he had hardly trained. we stayed at his house about 45 minutes away from the start. we ate the obligatory pasta and i risked some ice cream. i barely slept. (everytime i do any race, or direct a race, i dream that i miss the race so its better to stay awake). i wrote keith's initials on my wrist and ankles with the date of his death. i was doing this for him. if you give purpose to all those miles, it makes it go by faster, right?

i did it, i crossed that damn finish line with a heart full of pride, eyes full of tears, and legs full of pain. and i have never been the same. my mom has the picture, it is not pretty, but it means so much.

ever since i have defined myself by my running. i try to run fast, i strive to run long. when i have slacked off on my running i feel like a fake. when i try to get back into it and it hurts it's depressing. and then, like last night, i run 5.5 miles with a sweet soundtrack and some cool rain and i'm alive again. i'm me. and i run.