the prep.

hola blog world. it's been a minute.

the remainder of august and september thus far have been a complete whirlwind. all together exciting and memorable.

after my last little post, i got a job. at Brave Public Relations here in atlanta. it was an obvious, clear, direct sign from Jesus that I take the opportunity. it is temporary, but it is a JOB and i am learning a lot about my field and how to take my skills and apply them to my job.

that being said, i work full time. which i haven't done in a while.

and i love having a routine again, and this i am sure you are keenly aware of is good for my admin/marge self.

i feel like this pre-fall season is what i am calling the prep and method phase. preparation is kinda the most important part to anything you do. think about cooking/baking. you cannot just throw everything you think you need into a bowl and then have cookies... you gotta measure and separate and beat things together. sometimes you have to have a little separation to make the recipe turn out perfectly.

and i feel that is where i'm at.

i am being prepared quickly for what is to come. and i am ready to embrace everything the Lord has prepared ahead for me! i love the way he has been stretching me emotionally and physically [with working and training for the marathon and with family/friends/new people/old people/ etc etc] He is mixing in new things into my life while sustaining lasting things, teaching me to balance my life on His tables.

the prep and the method are crucial in making this recipe splendid. and i'm in the middle of that marvelous "phase".

so to catch everyone up... here is an overview of august and september!

august 22- interviewed with Brave and got the job. started working the 27. Will and i have been little travel bunnies. we went to the visit family in NC and favorites in bham, and then back to charlotte for the Hillsong concert. i went back to montgomery to take kelsey and chad's engagement photos...

can you say beautiful? i loved doing this!

also, one of my bestest bestest friends got engaged in august, another one of my bestests moved to atlanta AND i got to eat lunch with one of my FAVORITE texans in the world... miss myra. i have had a seriously blessed couple months.

marathon training- still going on if you were questioning it. we will be running our second to longest run in the training phase- a big 19 miler. and we are a little over 6 weeks out from the big day. so prayers are appreciated! no injuries!

mostly- i am excited because this morning when i was walking to my car and to work at 7:45, it was chilly! is it fall yet??? it will officially be on Sept. 22! and october, which is the best month in the year, i think, is coming up soon. 

well blessings to you all. 

xoxo

mb

anticipation.

anticipation of pain is {i believe} the worst human emotion.

think about it.

when you were little, taking a band-aid off was terrible and horrifying. remember getting teeth pulled or your finger pricked at the doctor's office? yeah, i do. and each event was accompanied with tears.

many times we often avoid things because of perceived pain.

remember avoiding the break up with a middle or high school boyfriend/girlfriend?? do you remember how many tears were shed over that person, yet, as shocking as it may be, you do not even talk to them anymore. what about when you need to tell the parents that you got a ticket or failed a class? we procrastinate until the moment when it is absolutely necessary.

i also believe this is true when it comes to training. for anything.
some days i wake up, look at the schedule, and want to cry when i see numbers like 15, 17, or 20.
"why did i do this again?" creeps into my little mind every now and again.

then i take my time getting dressed. i make sure i go to the bathroom about 5 times before i exit the house. i suck it up. and i run.

once i just got into my swing and started running i felt great. the weather was perfect and my legs were doing their job and i could breathe the air. i ran 5 miles and got back and i was finished.
and i felt great. granted, there were a few lovely atlanta hills that were AWESOME and i thought i might keel over right there and die... but i did not. i made it and i felt awesome.

perceived risk. anticipated pain.

so many times we don't do what we should for those two above reasons.
countless opportunities pass us by because we are afraid of stepping out.
there is risk in waking up in the morning.
there is risk when you fall asleep.
there is risk when you do anything. and there will probably be pain along side it.

the Lord calls us into some crazy things. He asks us to act and walk through things we know are going to be painful. we see the stuff that comes with it. we hear the stories and anticipate pain. we scare ourselves. we listen to lies.

but the Lord also says He will never leave or forsake us. that His Presence watches over us continually. that we are in the palm of His hand. that He knows the plans for us, He directs our will and our way. 

He also knows our pain. His Son took the weight of our pain and died for it. He has experienced it. 

so why, then, do we get so afraid? why do we cower at the first thought that this may be uncomfortable for me? what is holding us back?

a wise person once said to me, "you can do anything temporarily". meaning, there may be pain involved and some suffering, yet it is only temporary.
the Lord promises that pain may last for the night, but JOY comes in the morning. it's temporary pain.

and that goes for everything. for a new job. for stepping out and challenging your parents to walk deeper in their faith. for running a marathon. for getting married. having a baby. having cancer. pulling a tooth.

my challenge today is to remember the pain someone went through to get you where you are.
my challenge is that you step out in your faith and move a mountain.
that you take the strength given to you by our Lord and do something.
whether it is going to be painful or not.

___________________

my other challenge is this. 

how many times did you laugh today? 

we all need to lighten up a little. apparently, we are supposed to laugh 25 times a day. 

a cheerful heart is good medicine. 

and i dare you not to laugh at this precious baby....

peace and blessings.
mb.

yay.

it's august everyone. welcome; to the month of my birth.

Source: greylikesbaby.com via Liz on Pinterest

tuesday was the last day of intern status. the evaluation was beautiful. my little growing brain/heart/spirit was looking forward to getting some areas for me to grow in. instead, i felt like it was Morgan Appreciation Day. never in my life have i received as much affirmation and encouragement as i did in those 45 minutes. 

so many times, we look so hard at how we can encourage and fill other people up, we forget to get filled ourselves. 

but i did, and my cup was full, and my heart leapt with excitement about the season that is coming. the Lord said that He was proud of me- He looked down upon me and called me His child and said he was proud!

and then the devil met me at the door.

things like:

 are you sure you are called to this ministry and is He really proud of you and what about this... or that...

and so i captured those darts and i sent them where they belong.

      the foot of the cross. 

but these two days the Lord has been showing me what trust looks like. for the first time in my life, i have not guarantee as to what i will be doing. i make phone calls and send in applications and have interviews. and they are all hanging in the air. 

but there are things that aren't hanging in the air. the things that keep me going. 

like tomorrow, i will help two of our girls move. today, i created another new brownie masterpiece {yea call me Betty}. i have a healthy body that is carrying me through marathon training {more on that in a second}. i have a date tonight with my one and only. 

blessing are abundant. my God is faithful, living, true to His word. He is a protector and He wants to give me things, for i am His child, and a loving Father wants to provide for His children. He wants me to depend on Him as provider. and therefore, i have nothing else to lean on but Him.

_________________

running. we are running a marathon. it is happening in october and we are 10 weeks out. this week monday was 11 miles, wednesday was 4, today was 8, and tomorrow, 4 again. the legs are holding up fine. the mental stamina is kicking back in. and i love the time i get to spend out on the road or in the woods. i am no longer eating a vegetarian diet. it was literally destroying my muscles and i was not getting enough protein. however, i am eating more veggies and fruits than anything else. and complex carbs of course. 

it has been an adjustment to learn how to run in atlanta. 

so. many. hills.

but i am getting stronger. 

will is a good encourager through this. especially since he is running it too. mutually beneficial. 

__________________

i wanted to blog today because i want to keep writing. sometimes i get hung up on other things and i forget to write in my journals. and so this is the best way i know how to keep writing. 

i love it. 

it drives me to want to do cooler and more marvelous things so i can blog about it.

there will be better stories. more insight and more knowledge as i continue to grow. 

i want to invite you to continue on my journey with me. 

i promise you wont get bored. 

well, too bored. 

so thanks to people who have been encouraging me to keep writing. 

thanks to people to actually read this thing. 

i hope you are learning as much as i am. 

oh.

and i found this today.

it is now my inspiration for the month of august. 

peace and blessings. 

mb.

june 25, 2012.

i cannot believe it's already june 25. this month has flown by.

i haven't written in a couple of weeks, just to allow me some time to process everything that is going on in my life right now in order to reproduce it in an effective way.

first of all: atlanta. 
i love it here. last week i was talking with my little myra [who by the way is AMAZING and is working so hard at her BIG GIRL JOB!!], and we were talking about all this new stuff in our new places of residence. how it's a little more difficult to re-create community for ourselves, while still working and being independent. but i do love it. i have zero excuse to not do anything. there are things happening every weekend, new places to visit every day if i wanted, new people that i have met each week. i really do love it here. for all these reasons and more.

atlanta is becoming home. i am finding short-cuts, favorite parts of town, and learning how to get through traffic without a mild headache. 

second: NightLight.
it's hard for me to begin talking about this part of my life. there are so many things that go through my mind every day. a simple update would be merely impossible, but nevertheless, i press on and will attempt it :)

the little babes at kids club are beginning to remember me and i am remembering their sweet names and faces clearer every week. sometimes we get to have wonderful little conversations about sparkled shoe laces and ice cream and how they went to connecticut once, and other times we just sit together holding hands. i love hearing them sing the worship songs. there is nothing more beautiful than a child who has faith.

outreach is always heavy. friday night we were on a track i am becoming familiar with. there are sweet moments of quite with the Lord in this place. i stood on the front steps of a brothel turned hotel, and we lifted up songs and prayers for the people inside. when you hear from the Lord, and you speak into someone's spirit, you see the purpose of this ministry.

it's so hard to fully express what it is life until you are there. so many women just want someone to look into their eyes and see them, really see them. see their intelligence and their potential. like Jesus would.

yet during this time, i am learning more than i could have ever imagined about myself.

God has opened my eyes to so much more about himself and about how he sees me. i am 

learning the relationship i have with the Holy Spirit and being connected to Him

and the power and might i can display through using that relationship.

i pray everyday to do far greater things. 

third: marathon.

will and i ran 11 miles friday morning. i was totally mentally prepared because that is the longest training run i did for the half marathon. of course, will smoked me, but that's fine. we ran at the silver comet trail in smyrna. which is a beautiful place to run and not see that many people. lots of bikers and not a lot of places to stop and get h2o. and i have never trained this hard core in the summer heat by the way. it's a whole new world and i don't know if it's my favorite thing. but i persevere. and we will be awesome. 

oh and a BIG thing for anyone trying to do a long run/ race/ whatever. get good socks! i was having some weird blister issues and so will and i went to REI and got me some awesome Iron Man socks that prevent blisters and excess moisture. i HIGHLY recommend getting some like that for running!

fourth: life according to the iPhone

 best gauc ever...

so this picture...

will's grandfather gave it to me :) because he calls me miss america ;) i didn't complain

dinner with Mark and Britt in bham! at Chuy's

 passion city church: summer in the city

 this was our pre 11 mile dinner at this awesome greek restaurant. too much food. 

our favorite yogurt place! this was pistachio frozen yogurt. 

night light mentor training.

may blessings be poured upon you from heaven!

xoxo

mb.

2 weeks.

happy two weeks in atlanta.

had wonderful week while the Grands were in the Bahamas. only one bad thing happened... i lost the dog. thankfully, a sweet family found her roaming the streets after she ninja-ed out of the high security prison-type fencing in an effort to "get out of the storm". the family kept her over night and i retrieved the little ninja yesterday morning before the Grands came home... that was unnecessary stress on my heart.

_______________

officially, today was the first day of training for the marathon. the past two weeks have been a bit of "pre-training," getting used to the hills of Atlanta and finding places i like running best. our program is about 20 weeks, which puts us right and ready for the october marathon. this is a big bite to chew, but i have great accountability and an actual real life running partner. it's nice to have accountability like i did last time with dad. will is faster than me, so i have catching up to do...

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this week i had dinner with myra at antico, one of my favorite spots in atlanta. and the following day, steph and i adventured to historic norcross, ga. and we had no idea we were going to fall in love with the little downtown. it reminded us of downtown opelika and made us miss auburn for about 3 seconds. we recovered quickly.

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a week from tomorrow i start at NightLight. i got the greatest text from my cousin last night, encouraging me in my mission and calling for this season of my life. most importantly, he stood beside me and challenged me to observe the "great oaks of faith" i will be surrounded by. which only leaves room for growth.

LIFE ACCORDING TO MY iPHONE

because i forgot....

went to passion city church and jane was being baptized! it was so cool to see and hear her testimony! blessed to know her!

will's clever naming while we were at Chow Baby in atlanta. it was entertaining to watch the waitresses face when she said my name...

          

           

lots of laying out and eating raw foods this week...

baby snake, in the back yard... dying so i saved him

also, please pray for my baby sister. she went to the ER this morning because of extreme abdominal pain. we are praying for ultimate healing on her body. they believe it is something like appendicitis, however they are talking about ovarian cysts. i just found out about 2 hours ago... so if you read this soon, please pray.

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have a blessed wednesday.

mb. 

here i go again...

i need this for my life.

Source: eighteen25.blogspot.com via Ruta on Pinterest

you all know how much i love to set goals for myself and how much i love lists... well i have been doing a lot of goal setting and list making to keep me on top of m game for school and other activities in life.

{side note}

i promised myself when i created this blog my freshman year, that i would not post things in a negative nature. i do not enjoy negativity, and especially negative people. over my last few posts, i have been pretty negative about school. why? i am so blessed to be in school and have a mind that works and to have a family that supports what i am doing. 

no need for me to complain. it may be hard; so what? life is hard.

it may be a lot: so what? things can always be more stressful.

too blessed to be stressed.

so my apologies. i don't like negative people....

back to it.

i have made a goal for each day when i wake up. a goal for school, a goal for people, a goal for myself. you get it. and each day, i find more productivity in my midst when i work to accomplish goals. small or big! because of this, school is going swimmingly. and i am really enjoying my projects. and i cannot wait to share them with you!

and so i thought i'd share this little list i made a few weeks ago, when i relaized i had 60 days until graduation....

so i am making a list. a list of things i want will to do in the next 60 days before i graduate. 

1. i will finish 60 days of insanity
2. i will an A on my final project 
3. i will run at least 10 miles a week
4. i will get a job for the summer in my choice city
5. no meat (gave it up for lent)
6. i will invest in relationships
7. i will learn more of the mandolin

if you want to know my progress... here it is. 

1. haven't missed a day

2. workin' hard for my money

3. been more like 5... oops

4. interviews. interviews. interviews.... waiting, waiting, waiting

5. NO MEAT! until grad-g-ation. 

6. yeah, i feel like i am... you can decide that for yourself :)

7. eh, poor choice on the list... don't own one. ha.

so we're making progress. about a month and a week left. so i added one more thing.

8. blog more (as in a least 3 times a week) BIG ONE, i know (travis keep me accountable)

and then i decided i needed something to look forward to after i graduate and after i complete my list. ergo, another goal/list/check-off-thing

MARATHON. 

big scary, scary, 26.2miles-scary word.

yep, i said it. i'm gonna run a marathon this year. i have just decided this week. it's on my "things to do before i'm thirty" list, but i want to do more than one. so....Atlanta Marathon or the NorthFace Endurance Marathon, both in October. 

i know that if i say i am going to do it, i have to... i have all 3 of you to keep me accountable. so after graduation, i am going to start training. boom. 

here i go again...

Source: runnersworld.com via Elizabeth on Pinterest