Don't get too excited by that blog title. I haven't run any crazy distances (or any at all) or baked the world's largest scone or even held my breath for more than a few seconds. I'm not talking about that kind of a record.
I'm talking about a personal one. One that really doesn't matter in the long scheme of things, but dawned on me the other day.
Before my husband and I moved to Tennessee in 2017, I had never lived anywhere longer than six years. Ever. And most places I had lived less than that. So, last year, when I realized we'd been here for six years, I told my husband, "We have to stay here at least one more year."

If you're a parent, I'm sure you've probably had the conversation during communion where a little body next to you leans in and whispers, "I want a cracker too." It's only happened a few times with us. We quickly explain it's for grown-up Christians, knowing they're not ready for all the details yet, though we're getting closer. And they yearn to grow older so they can participate.
Lately, my son also wants to help pass the trays. The cracker one isn't quite as nerve-wrecking to allow him to handle as the juice. But often, it just takes longer for him to be allowed to hold it for that extra second or two than for my husband to hand it over him to me. And I have to remind myself to allow him those extra seconds. Because he's yearning to serve.

Have you ever grown sunflowers? I plant them every year. I've loved them since high school, when they were all the rage as patterns and accessories (I still wish I could fit into that denim and sunflower skirt I had as a teenager). They're just such happy pretty flowers.
This year, we have two giant sunflowers that have blooms at the top and then scattered all the way down their stems. And we have several sunflowers of a variety that blooms browns and oranges instead of just yellow.
Have you ever watched sunflowers through the day?

Do you ever do things because they're good for you? Exercise? Eating less junk food? Going to bed instead of reading one more chapter? 
Yeah, okay. Just because it's good for us doesn't mean it's always fun. Though there are things that are good for us that are fun too. Like attending worship services. Or going on dates with our spouse. ;)
Well, I made my son do something that was good for him, though he didn't expect to love it. He rather dreaded it, honestly.

How far would you go to impress your future father-in-law? That's right, I said FUTURE. Well, guest author Meghann Whistler is here today to talk about her real-life romance when she did just that. Read on.

​I met my husband on a blind date in Boston in September 2003, during my last semester of grad school.
 
I’d been single for about a year and half before I met him, and I’d been on my fair share of bad blind dates during that time, so I didn’t have high hopes.
 
That all changed, however, when I met him. Paul was tall and handsome, and he was Canadian, like me! He was also kind and polite, and after dinner, we stayed out talking until two o’clock in the morning.
 
It wasn’t long before we fell in love. 💕

My husband is about to stop letting me go to the store. Not really, but there has been a trend lately. This time of year, many stores are getting rid of plants in order to make room for fall items. Yes, it's only July, but it's after the fourth. That means school supplies and fall decorations will soon take over the aisles.
And I am taking advantage of the marked down flowers. Pots of daisies and on clearance for under $2? Yes, please!
​Are they in the best shape? No. But they're not dead yet.

The last few years, by this time, I've had quite a few zinnias popping up in my front flower bed where I transplanted them a few years ago. They reseed themselves so I don't even have to worry about spreading more seeds each year.
This year, I have one.
One.
From half a flower bed full of zinnias to ... one.
And it's breaking my heart a bit. But it's my own fault.

In our relationship, my husband and I get along fairly well, but that doesn't mean we aren't complete opposites in the way we do certain things. For instance, I love being around people. He does not. I love watching old musicals. He tolerates them. I love being outside. He can handle it a little while, but don't ask him to camp. And it's okay. Because we balance each other out.
But we're different in other ways too. Like, I am a planner and he is not. I love to know weeks in advance what we're doing when, how much things cost, when they open, what might be on the way from here to there that we could add to our trip, etc. He is more of a wing-it man.
I said, "Do you want to take a trip, just the two of us, for our anniversary?"
He replied, "Sure."
"Where would you like to go?"
​And he shrugged.

This has been a year of adjustments. In more ways than one.
From mid-January on, I've been going to the chiropractor. I'm finally back down to every other week, but it was much needed because I had somehow done a number on my back. And while it's frustrating to know I needed someone to put my ribs back in place every week or so, it's nice to be able to go in and get that adjustment so I can continue to live with less pain.
As I mentioned a couple weeks ago, my husband and I replaced our mattress. We'd had our old one for ten years, so it was definitely needing it. At least, my hips were needing to not have a spring digging into them.

When is the last time you replaced your mattress? My husband and I decided that ten years was long enough between our last mattress and a new one. And before that, it was ten years between mattresses. So, today, a new mattress is being delivered to our house and the old one is going away.
The old one was purchased when I was pregnant with my daughter. It has dips on each side where my husband and I have slept over the last decade. The springs aren't as comfortable and the pillowtop is more flat than cushiony. It was time. My shoulders every morning concur in their aches and stiffness.
The thing is, in the last ten years, mattresses have changed and improved quite a bit.