Currently: August | 2015

watching...I just finished Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956), which was full of overacting and quite predictable. And I'm still watching Cheers.

reading...A Winter Wrong: A Pride and Prejudice Novella Variation by Elizabeth Ann West. Yes, it's cheesy. Yes, I don't care. I love Pride and Prejudice. 

listening...Run Wild. Live Free. Love Strong. by for King & Country.

This album is so encouraging and uplifting. I can't even pick a favorite song but Steady and It's Not Over Yet are coming to mind.

feeling...Tired, which is definitely not new. I feel so sluggish all the time! 

wanting...to find a fantastic latte recipe to use with my new milk frother. I've done a peppermint mocha and a cinnamon dulce so far, but neither recipe was anything to write home about. Do you guys know of any? I've been stalking pinterest but I can't seem to find anything I'm dying to try.

loving...Life in general. Things are good right now! 

Sarah's Surprise Going Away Party | August 2015

I know I've mentioned Sarah plenty of times on my blog, but she is my closest friend. She's always there when I need someone and we have an insane amount of stuff in common. There definitely aren't many people in the world like her! Not sure if I have mentioned or not, but she is doing the Disney College Program, for which I'm insanely proud of her! She will be working at Disney World from August - January. I'm sooo excited for her, but I will miss her something fierce! I wanted to do something for her so she would know how important she is! Now I've never thrown a surprise party before, so this was all new territory for me. Sometimes Sarah's mom, Sarah, and I will get together and scrapbook, so that was the excuse we used for both of them coming to my house. When she got there her cousins and some friends were waiting for her. 

Probably my favorite part of the party was the cake I got from Publix, because it was adorable, and the Disney themed photo booth.

I think the party was a success and it was a lot of fun. Have you ever thrown a surprise party before?

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Things I've Learned // as an X-ray Tech

Growing up, I never thought I'd end up in the medical field. I always wanted to be a marine biologist or a teacher. Radiography never crossed my mind. Even though I've complained about my job many times, I've learned a LOT about the human body, technology, and just people in general. I've come a loooong way over the past 5 years! Here are some of the important lessons I've learned...
...the human body is a gift and we should treat it as such. I don't want to say "YOLO", but... you only live once. We've been given this body as our shell and if we fill it with garbage, that's what it will become. A lot of damage we do to our bodies is irreversible and could easily be prevented by simply taking better care of ourselves.
...sometimes, you have to get creative. Every situation I encounter is definitely not textbook. People can't move a certain way or can't be still as long as necessary to produce the optimal shot. You have to learn to work with patients and the situation. This not only applies to x-ray, but with photography as well.
...people will put objects in strange places. I don't encounter this nearly as much in an office setting as I did in the hospital. I'll just leave it at that.
...kindness goes a long way. If someone is at the clinic, something is obviously wrong. They are most likely nervous, so go out of your way a little just to be extra kind to them. Many people won't acknowledge it, but it is so worth it when someone does! 
...the people who are hurting the most, complain the least. This is pretty general but I've found this to be true 99.5% of the time! The ones hollering for me to hurry up usually are not the ones with the serious injuries. Most people will tolerate the pain in order to know what's going on.
...there's always someone worse off than you. This sounds morbid and it somewhat is. But we are so quick to complain and take so much for granted. Since I've been in the medical field, I've encountered some extremely sick people. Always remember, someone somewhere is struggling worse than you. 

Bible Study | James Chapter 1

Today I started back my daily quiet time by restarting the book of James. A couple of the verses I read today really stuck out:

This is something I desperately need to work on. Instead of constantly chatting mindlessly, I need to stop and listen. We need to be quick to listen to God and also to others.  Instead of gossiping or just talking to hear myself talk, I need to think before I speak. Instead of jumping to conclusions or holding a grudge, I need to forgive and let go. This is such great advice and I've decided this is the first of the fifteen verses I want to memorize to cross off #89 on my 101 list.

So, why is it so important that we watch what we say? The absolute best witness a Christian can be is through the way they live their life. Someone who gossips all the time, someone who is constantly mad or judgmental is not representing Christ as they should be. I'm absolutely guilty of these things but these verses remind me that I need to slow down and make sure everything I say and do represents Christ in a way He should be represented! 

These verses also bring to mind the Needtobreathe song, More Heart and Less Attack. It's definitely worth a listen. 

Woodstock 5k | 2015

I've posted about Woodstock before here and here. The Woodstock 5k is definitely one of the biggest races in Alabama. This year there were over 1,500 runners, a record. I didn't participate this year because of other stuff going on but I did go to support my friend Krystle and her boyfriend as they ran. I decided to take my camera and attempt some action shots because I've never done that with my dslr before. I was really pleased with how some of them turned out. 

I feel like I saw everyone I've ever met at the race, but I actually really enjoyed it. It felt like an awesome coming together of the community, and for a great reason. It's so awesome to see there are that many people in my hometown concerned with health and fitness. Although I will admit, I felt like a slothful fatty just taking pictures of the runners. I almost wore my knee brace so people would think that's why I wasn't running. 

Here are some of my favorite shots from the day, not shared in the collage:

By the way, the winner finished the full 5k in a little over 15 minutes. I can barely do ONE mile in 11 minutes. 

Have you ever participated in a 5k run before?