Coney Island Shenanigans

So, as part of my #beINTENTIONAL year, I want to begin taking steps out into new waters.
This last week, my adventures took me to Coney Island with some amazing friends/coworkers! :)

For the past couple of years, I have been struggling with anxiety. I saw a therapist and have meds as needed in case it gets out of control. I believe that most of it stems from some health issues I have had in the past, but I have been doing phenomenally better in recent months.

This summer, I have been spending awesome time with great people. This group decided to road trip to Coney Island this past Monday. In the past, trips over 30 minutes made me extremely nervous - especially trips that lasted for several hours. As the date approached, I felt my anxiety rising in a way it hadn't in months. Thankfully, I shared this with my friends, and they were gracious enough to help me through it. With just a minor hiccup on the way there, the day went swimmingly!

Upon arrival to Coney Island, the first stop had to be Nathan's Hot Dogs for a famous bite to eat. I was unimpressed, but to each his own. :)
We ventured around some stores - finding some interesting candy along the way - and continued down the boardwalk. I was pleased to find that yes, there are numerously different types of Pokemon in different geographical areas. :)

We then headed to the Ferris Wheel. Now, as I said - anxiety = awful and this Ferris Wheel looked like it might be a trigger. I went back and forth for a long time until finally something clicked.

I do NOT have let my anxiety control me! 

With that, I took a deep breath, said a prayer and bought my ticket. We waited in line for several minutes, watching the gondolas go round and round until it was finally our turn. We climbed in, two in the back and two in the front. We began to go up and the view was amazing. What we all happened to forget was that we opted for a swinging car - one that rolled down a track similar to a roller coaster at various points throughout the ride. After a bout of laughter, several explicatives from my riding partner, and two full cycles around the wheel, we made it safely back to the ground.

The rest of the time on Coney Island doesn't compare and I left feeling satisfied and proud of myself for taking the plunge and not giving in to the negative emotions that have controlled me for so long.

We made a rainy trip through the financial district and ended up soaking wet in Hoboken for Carlo's Bakery - home of the Cake Boss. We finished the trip with a pit stop at WaWa and Chickfila and headed home.

Another summer adventure came to a close and I am a better person for it. :)

Day One - a new day

Despite my past experiences and learnings, I found myself becoming a holiday and special occasion church goer. It started out as one or two weeks when I was too tired or anxious to get out of bed, but then each week I found a different excuse not to make the effort. When people would ask me about it, I shrugged it off - made it into lesser of a deal than it really was. I believed my comfort - my schedule - my laziness - was more important than coming together with other believers in the house of the Lord to worship. I started only remembering the last time I was at church by the holiday that called me there.

Over the past 2 weeks I've met some new friends and gotten to know a few a bit better, and through these relationships and conversations, I felt the Lord pressing this idea: be intentional! In the way only the Lord can, he showed me three areas of my life that He's calling me to be more intentional about.
The first area is my faith - being intentional about getting to church every Sunday and growing in my relationship with the Lord. This needs to transcend the rest of my life - especially the other 2 areas that God is calling me to rise up.

Today was day 1 of being intentional. I set my alarm, got up, showered and headed off to 9:30 service. My new friend, Caren, saved me a seat and I worshiped and learned about the Lord alongside other believers. I let God speak into my heart in a way that I haven't been open to in a long time.
I'm learning that throughout this journey of being intentional, I must find accountability. So, as I said, today is day 1. Not every day will be perfect and not every day will I be successful, but every day the Lord is good, and He loves me with an everlasting love, and He will help me get back up and try again.