Birmingham = Inspiration

Every time I visit Birmingham, I am overcome with an incredible sense of energy and inspiration. Of course, I can largely attribute this spirited feeling to my cousin Ann Wade, whose energy and enthusiasm is contagious. For example, a trip to the Y began with a 45 minute spinning class, merely a warm-up to the hour long session with Ann Wade's ripped trainer. With fatigued glutes, achy shoulders, and a seemingly firm core, we cooled down with a 2 mile run. In a nutshell, my cousin's typical morning workout.

Along with the motivation to become a better runner and athlete, I also feel more spiritually challenged. With worship and praise music as the soundtrack to our comings and goings, I feel a heightened gratitude for God's blessings. In January, we decided to read the Bible in a year, and I am both excited by our progress and tickled by how utterly broken in our Bibles have become in the last 8 months.

My creative and artistic ambitions were expressed at an art studio that we went to the other night. I painted a canvas of an assortment of wine bottles, which will be the perfect addition to the kitchen of my new apartment. We enjoyed other expressions of creativity in the form of a comedy night, featuring Matt Mitchell, who literally had me in tears from the moment he walked on stage.

Running around Birmingham over the last couple of days has also resulted in a new found love for smoothies, a Lilly Pulitzer shopping spree, and smoother skin from using Arbonne products. My 4 day August getaway to Bham has left me feeling refreshed, renewed, and rejuvenated, which is exactly what I need before starting my career in a few weeks!