Top 5 Loves of my Life

Since moving back home I have realized how blessed I am.  There are five blessings I am particularly thankful for that have become apparent in the past week.
Numero Uno:  Running
WHAT? Bethany running?!  I know, this is a shocker to hear coming from my mouth.  For all of those people that know me, running is not my thing.  Actually, any type of cardio workout is not my think; in general exercise is not my thing.  I guess moving back home gave me motivation or I just don't want to be at home very often, so running gets me out of the house (the second option is probably more accurate).  My trick to getting myself up and running is dubstep and my alarm.  I have been setting my alarm 45 minutes earlier than normal.  I instantly jump out of bed and get out the door, that way I don't allow my brain to wake up and realize what insane activity I am putting my body through at such an ungodly hour of the morning.  Second, good ole Pandora Dubstep radio has been taking my mind off of the intense chest pain and leg cramps that I experience as I jog my small two mile loop around the neighborhood. 
Despite my negative attitude towards running, I have been so grateful to feel and experience the beautiful weather God has created.  My first day of running, the weather was sad and rainy but I absolutely adored the water drizzling on me.  I have also ran in fogginess and the shining sun.  As I begin to struggle when I run, I look at the sky and thank God for His weather, and it really helps me to keep pushing through.  Go weather and go running!
Numero Dos: Old and New friends
After being back in L-town I have realized how much I miss all the friends I have made at SPU.  I did not realize how difficult it would be to move back or how quickly I would feel sadness.  I was excited to receive texts from a few SPU-ers about how I am doing and to know I haven't been forgotten.  Not to mention, I got a call from a good friend who is spending Spring break in Hawaii.  I definitely felt special since I would not call anyone if I were in such a glorious place for a short amount of time.  On the other hand, the older friendships I have back home have really helped me stay strong through this change.  Lynden is quite a boring little town, but "the group" was reunited and my nights have been filled with movies and laughter.  Our high school traditions haven't changed and I am happy for the consistency.
Numero Tres: My Family!
It is Saturday early morning, my first day back home, and my phone is vibrating as my brother is trying to call me to babysit.  I, unfortunately, had to say no because the countless suitcases and bins were screaming, telling me to unpack them.    But, the fact that I was home for less than 12 hours and I was already being called to babysit made me recognize how badly my family needs me :P  I am the number one babysitter and top on the list; this is a great thing to know.  Sunday, I got to ride in the backseat with my nephew as I went to church with my oldest brother and sister-in-law.  He was babbling the whole way and talking about how he wanted a ta-ta (Tic Tac) and being all cutesy.  Wednesday I got to take care of him for the majority of the day.  I even got to accompany him to his final mother-child dance class.  I was pretty stoked to say the least.  Even though I am hesitant to be back home, my niece and nephews are proof that they need their Auntie B and I need them to keep me busy.
Numero Cuatro: My cellular device
Smart Phones are one of the greatest inventions ever created.  When I dropped my phone and completely shattered the front screen, I was devastated and realized the dependency I have with my phone.  I would like to think I am not like every other teenager or person out their who are pathetically attached to their phone and feels naked without it, but I probably am. 
There are four aspects of my phone that have major impacts on my life: the Navigation system, the Mars Hill App, the Pandora App, and the Facebook App.  Within the first month of living in Seattle I got lost with the transit system but thankfully my phone was able to guide me back to my humble abode at SPU. There have been countless instances when I needed my phone to lead me to destinations safely and on time.  I recently got the Mars Hill App after attending the church in Seattle.  I have been listening to Mark Driscoll's sermons as I get ready in the morning and I absolutely love it.  It is such an easy way to hear more of God's word and have it accessible to me at any time; since I do have my phone on me at ALL times.  The Pandora App has also become a good friend of mine since I found out I can hook up my phone to my speaker system in my ghetto granny car.  Now I can have Dubstep bumpin as I mob the roads of Lynden like a boss.  I could never leave out the FacebookFB background check.
Numero Cinco: Rite Aid
This one is kind of a random one that I am thankful for.  Earlier this week my bestest friend in the world, Madeline, and I went to Rite Aid to find her father new shoe laces.  Unfortunately for Madeline, Rite Aid did not have the exact shoe laces her father needed but I was impressed with their sparkle charcoal nail polish and knock off sparkle Tom's shoes.  Why, might you ask, would Rite Aid be on my top five things I am thankful for.  Well, note the description word I used to describe both the nail polish and knock off shoes.  SPARKLE!  Rite Aid gives me all the sparkle I want at a cheap and affordable price, not to mention they have pretty make up and girlie things that I like to indulge in.  Yay for glitter and shine!

I know a few of these are pretty interesting things to be thankful for, but it is worth recognizing them. I think God also likes to hear the silly things that makes us happy and gets us excited (like sparkle!!)