if this weekend lasted a lifetime i’d be a-ok

this was what the majority of my last two days looked like:

did i mention my parents essentially live in paradise? and now you see why i go upstate so often.

this weekend, i lay on the boat. i read on the boat. i drove the boat. i went swimming off the boat. i napped on the boat. i tanned on the boat. i had it realllly rough.

i’m hoping this was an indication of how glorious this summer will shape up to be, from start to finish. i plan to spend as much time as possible at the lake or at beaches with the girls.

i also rocked a great, sunny, hilly run on Saturday morning: 9 miles around the lakes, stopping to take in the cozy sweetness of this little spot at the next lake over:

i don’t even mind the hills when i’m running in such a magical place. it’s amazing how a beautiful landscape and the pureness of nature can make you feel so alive, so right, like the world just suddenly makes sense and you’re beyond blessed to be a part of it and take it all in.

the run felt great and i’m happy to be entirely pain-free. i saw a foot doctor and it was just a minor stress fracture, which seems to have gone away. phew.

in other news, i’m really wishing i had one of these to use on the lake this summer:

anyone done any standup paddleboarding before? i realllly want to try and am considering making the investment. ps, that picture above could totally be me and one of my closest friends: she’s the blonde doing the crazy yoga pose, i’m the brunette tanning and wishing that was as easy as running. typical.

i also finished two books this weekend: The Girl Who Fell From the Sky,

a sort of coming-of-age novel tracing the development of a young biracial girl struggling to find her identity in a world that’s trying to tell her who she is, while simultaneously dealing with a family tragedy of which she’s the sole survivor. it’s an easy read but a heavy story, and i enjoyed it;

and The Alchemist,

a mystical, whimsical allegory about a young shepherd boy on an epic quest for his Personal Legend (his life passion, his deepest yearnings, the essence of his identity). it’s about growth, and learning about both yourself and the world at large, and about perspective and loss and love and yearnings and God and the all-encompassing concept of being a person, one unique person, with a purpose and an persevering heart.

it’s philosophical and religious and introspective and creative and just a really interesting, unique story. i found myself highlighting soooo many passages in this book, and i love how the overriding theme is that of faith. there were a lot of Biblical references and allusions throughout the novel. the main quote upon which it is based is from the Bible:

i feel like i read this book at the perfect time in my life, and even if it wasn’t intended as a “Christian” novel, my personal take-aways all revolve around reflections on my faith and what i believe my life passions are, and it definitely inspired me to spend more time pursuing what i love.

don’t you just love when a book makes you think? 🙂

hope you had lovely weekends, friends!

Questions:
Tell me something great about your weekend!
What was the last good book you read?
Anyone know anything about standup paddleboarding?!

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