Tag: adventure

Weekender/ Testimonies ✨

Published on by Velvet2 Comments

MAKE TIME FOR GOD

"the Truth will set you free" John 8:32

I would like to share two testimonies from our trip to PA. Here is the first! Enjoy <3

We were driving North on 95 in Virginia as my husband’s eye felt progressively more and more irritated. He was driving with one hand and rubbing his right eye with the other, and we had about five hours ahead of us. The irritation had started the day before, but had come and gone a couple of times. We prayed together for his eye and both of us believed that God would heal him.

Within a couple of minutes, he said “my eye is better”. At that moment, we noticed this truck in front of us:

“God bless you. Have a nice journey”. We were both in awe and so excited for our trip!

😀

🙂

<3

As we got closer to our destination, things began to look a little different.

Welcome to Amish country!

We arrived at the quaintest bed and breakfast and were greeted by a coffee bar and fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies. After meeting and greeting the hostess, we went up to our room and rested for a while.

Then it was time to get ready for our big event.

We went to the Sight and Sound theater to see a live production of “Moses”. If you’ve never been to the Sight and Sound theater, it’s an AMAZING experience. Here’s a website to their story if you want to check it out! https://www.sight-sound.com/location/lancaster

This is one third of the stage that we first saw when we walked in.

A strong aroma of sweet vanilla greeted us when we first walked into the building, which we discovered was fresh, warm, vanilla roasted almonds. We obliged, of course.

We couldn’t take pictures or videos throughout the show, so you’ll have to go see it for yourself! What I can tell you though, is that the story was extremely accurate and close to the bible, the actors were incredible, and the props and stage crew were better than Broadway, hands down. What has been achieved at Sight and Sound is astounding, excellent work. The show was a true inspiration that challenged me to do better and work harder. Bravo, well done!!

Afterwards, we looked for a restaurant to get something to eat and found that the few restaurants in the area were absolutely SLAMMED from apparently multiple shows happening in the area. After visiting two places and calling four, we got on a waiting list at a Dutch Smorgasbord that told us it would be an hour & a half wait. So we got on the list, hunkered down, and enjoyed some horses behind the restaurant before God moved again.

After waiting for 15 minutes it was only 6:46pm and I wasn’t sure I’d make it. I expressed my great hunger and prayed out loud that God would open up a table in 14 minutes. Thirteen minutes later, I got a text from the restaurant saying our table was ready.

After the one minute walk, we were inside 14 minutes later. Glory to Him who is able! Why did God do that? Because He cares for us 🙂

When we were seated, we were told that they were the last table they were allowed to seat because their dishwasher just broke!! He loves to wow us.

After dinner we went back to the Bed and Breakfast and sat on the porch under a thick blanket of stars and listened as Amish horse-drawn buggies clip-clopped by. We turned in early, slept in late, enjoyed coffee and fresh, homemade cinnamon rolls in the garden the next day and had good conversations with new friends/travelers to end our lovely weekender.

<3

If you made it this far, I want to encourage you that God sees you. And if you sincerely pray to Him, he hears you! He doesn’t always answer right away, and He doesn’t always answer the way we want, but He does hear. These two answers to prayer were a testimony to share with you to encourage you and bring you hope! Be bold when you talk to God, and pray with shameless audacity. Not demanding, but asking with faith and the knowledge that He is able to accomplish immeasurably more than you could ever think of or imagine.

My husband’s eye did hurt on and off again after we arrived at the bed and breakfast. But it was a huge blessing that it didn’t hurt when we were on the road. And to have seen the sign on the truck was extra joyful. It goes to show that God is really in control of our circumstances and is always watching out for us. Sometimes He heals us right away, but other times we have to work through the pain and go through the process of resting, remedying, and trusting Him no matter what the outcome. God is always still good.

It was a short, but great trip to Lancaster, PA. We’re looking forward to the next show that we’re able to attend, the memories we’ll be able to make together, and the testimonies that we will be able to share. To GOD be the glory!

Love you all <3

V

sunday

Published on by Velvet2 Comments

afternoon.

3:43pm to be exact! And it’s sunny outside.  🌞 

We’re going dancing today!

I’m super excited! Can you tell? 😀 <3

Guys it’s been at least 2 years since I’ve been to a dancing event. I think it was in October 2020 actually. But I am so excited to go! Dancing makes me really come to life!

What makes you come to life? Comment below!

xxx <3

V

photo of parked motorcycle

First motorcycle ride (and reflecting on alcohol)

Published on by VelvetLeave a comment

Eeeeeeeeeeeeek ohmigoodness guys. I am SO nervous and excited right now! Mostly excited 😀 because I’m about to go on my FIRST EVER motorcycle ride!!!!!!!

Hahahaha seriously this is hilarious that I’m even doing this. I definitely did NOT anticipate this or plan it. Lol but the other night I was talking to a friend about an upcoming event and he asked me if I wanted to ride with him on his MOTO and I was like maaaaaybe. And then he said that I could try riding it first this weekend and guys, I said yes. Lol

Just being completely honest here, not too much time had passed since the margarita that I had drank before this conversation took place. 😂 😂 😂 No shame.

Regarding alcohol and christianity:

I believe that alcohol is a good gift from God. Jesus’ first miracle was turning water into wine. Enjoying a social drink with friends is a wonderful thing. However, the bible says that drunkenness is wrong. I actually did a video on this. Check it out here. (And please subscribe to my YouTube channel for videos on how to improve your relationship with God, others and yourself!)

Just keep this in mind; every choice we make in life ripples out. For some people, even having one drink messes up their whole life or their family’s lives. The fact is, some people simply should NOT drink alcohol. I thank God that I am able to enjoy an alcoholic beverage every now and again, but the truth of the matter is, if I never drank alcohol again I would be 1000% okay with that. It’s not my be-all, end-all.

And please God, if you have a drinking problem, send me an email at velvet@velvetyoung.com and I will be happy to pray for you and encourage you.

Now, back to my motorcycle ride. lol

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Last night I watched several videos (a couple were 20+ minutes long) on how to ride a motorcycle for beginners. My friend is actually going to teach me how to ride this thing. But first I’m just going to ride with him.

I’ve been struggling with what to wear and how to have my hair so it doesn’t get super dirty or staticky from the helmet. Lol are these the firstest of the world problems or what?!?!?! When I realize and ponder this reality, I am humbled and overcome with gratitude that I am living this life this way. I have my fair share of problems, but God takes care of me and provides all that I need. I am so grateful for a God who knows the desires of my heart and makes a way for me to enjoy so many different aspects of His marvelous creation!

Kinda like earlier this year when I started pursuing surfing and it all came together so beautifully. The friends that surfed, people teaching me, opportunities to go (but not excessively). Not everybody is a thrill seeker or adventurer like me. But for those of us who are, DO what makes you feel alive. That doesn’t mean that a surf session or a motorcycle ride has to be on the plate every single day, but make time to do things that satisfy your soul! Of course I believe that Jesus is the ultimate satisfaction, but He also created the world and everything in it for us to enjoy and reflect our gratitude to Him and glory in HIS artistry and creativity.

Life sure is an interesting ride. Pun intended. I will post some pictures if I make it out of this ride alive. JK but hey, y’never know! Though with my track record I’m probably more likely to perish by slipping down the stairs and cracking my head on the wall or doing some other idiotic, mundane task. HAHHA I accidentally just typed “mundance”. I reaaaaaaally like that. Since combining words is one of my favowite things to do (yes, I spelled that wrong on purpose 😛 )

Okay you beautiful lovely people. God bless you and happy Sunday!! I love you all <3

xxx

V

“Too much prep”

Published on by Velvet1 Comment

“Too much prep”

IMG_20200723_152136_045

He said as he saw me scraping the old wax off this board and starting to rewax it. “That sport requires too much prep.” Hey buddy, it’s not for everyone… but I’m not gonna trade it for a few minutes of TLC.

Though there are SOME things in life that can definitely feel that way. Laundry? Dishes? Cleaning? Can I get an Amen?! Lol like can these things maybe do themselves?!

Everything we have requires maintenance. Tangible things like our bodies, houses, cars; and intangible things like relationships with God and other people. If we neglect maintenance, things break and fall apart. God didn’t make us to sit around and be idle. He created us to work! Prepare. Care ❤️ bear burdens.

Not to say there’s not a time to cease. Pause. Delight. In fact, resting, delighting and remembering is extremely VITAL. And I’ll do that when I get out on the water 🙂 but in the meantime, maintenance is required. And I choose to view it as investing in future opportunites to delight even harder. From a unique oceanic viewpoint 😉🌊 #workhard #workhardplayhard

xxx

<3

V

The Summary of Surfing

Published on by Velvet2 Comments

“So like, where are the waves?”

Was the question running through my mind yesterday afternoon. The answer soon came from this summary of surfing: Surfing is 80% paddling and 20% surfing. 😂 #patience

Patience on the water seems easier to have because you’re anticipating that next perfect wave that will be both challenging and satisfying. And you get to enjoy God’s beautiful creation simultaneously 🌊 the glittering sunlight in the water… The beautiful people surrounding you. The wind over the water. Maybe an occasional dolphin or whale 🐬

Patience off the water can seem so frustrating. Being in a slow-moving line at the grocery store or in traffic or wondering why somebody in your life just “doesn’t get it” when you think they should have by now. It’s SO incredibly easy to take on the “let’s GO!” mindset of hurrying and being busy. So I have a challenge:

Will you join me in living a life of hopeful expectancy? That the waves (whatever “waves” you’re hoping will come) will come? That you’ll be able to ride them out and enjoy them?

Sometimes God puts us in a place of waiting, and it can seem like the thing will never be resolved or will never come around. I’m here to encourage you to wait, patiently, and enjoy what’s around you while you’re waiting 🙂

& coming from that mindset of gratitude and grace, you’ll then be able to ride whatever wave comes your way… Strongly and satisfyingly 💙 and encourage others along the way 🙂

❤️ If you’re with me!

xxx

V

First time surfing

Published on by Velvet2 Comments

Well. Okay, yes. This will be my first OFFICIAL surfing lesson.

I tried “surfing” a few weeks ago which was really me attempting to stand up on a surf board on flat water for 2 hours. It went over about as well as it sounds like it might.

To sum it up in one sentence for you I shall share this short anecdote: a 6 year old asked me if she “could try” after my hundreds of failed attempts to stand up on this thing. On her first try she managed to stand up and say how “easy” it was.

Thank you child. I shall return to my floppy misery now. Only joking. I enjoyed getting up and trying again and again. Falling and getting back up. It was actually a pretty sweet metaphor for life. 😀

ANYWAYZ. I’m taking a legitimate lesson tomorrow with a friend which will be FUN! And then hopefully we can go surf other more legitimate places together! Teehee!!!!!!! My summer dreams coming true. <3

I will update y’all tomorrow with how this thing goes! Follow me for more adventure posts about running, biking, hiking, rock climbing, swimming, skiing (it’s been a minute but ayy), salsa dancing, bachata dancing………… and whatever other opportunities come my way!

Cheers to life and God and all of His wonderful creation!

xxx

<3

V

Climbing

Published on by Velvet4 Comments

Indoor rock climbing to be specific. I went yesterday for the first time in………. 5 years? And I haven’t been consistently going since ….. 2013? Haha basically it’s been a hot minute. My trip out to Joshua Tree in 2014 was the last real outdoor climbing trip I had minus the recent one I did.

Man that was a super legit spring break trip.

Anyway.

This is a shot from going outdoors recently.

That was a hard route. I was trying it because, why not. But it was above my skill level. Haha. Super fun though. Except for the fact that it ripped off my fingertips on both hands. So when I went to unlock my phone with my fingerprint, my phone didn’t recognize my finger. Since the tip was ripped off. Hahaha

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Apparently your body doesn’t like vigorous climbing activities after not going climbing for ~6/7 years. Who woulda thunk?!?!😂

As a result I came down with a bad case of DOMS today. Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness. Which got progressively worse throughout the day. The cure: moving my body. I tried resting, rubbing arnica on it, taking a hot bath. All of those things were generally helpful. But it came down to biking around my neighborhood a few times (I did around 10 laps, which is 10 miles) and felt WAY better after that. 🙂

It was worth it though. It was super fun to go and I definitely want to go again soon. I actually will probably go this Wednesday 😀 as long as I can cancel my plans to go biking. Which shouldn’t be too hard because it’s supposed to t-storm on Wednesday anyways. 😛

mmk. Th-th-th-that’s all for now folks!

xxx

<3

V

Cycling

Published on by Velvet7 Comments

‘Ello there! I’m tired. But it’s a good kind of tired!

Yesterday I went for a 25 mile bike ride with some friends.

We did part of a 50 mile trail that goes from Williamsburg, VA to Richmond, VA. Went down 12.5 and took a hammock break.

My friend literally makes hammocks himself. Pretty awesome. I got scratched by some thorns upon exiting the woods.

Y’never know what’s going to happen on an adventure. Hahaha. On our 12.5 return trip, an unexpected friend showed up to ride the last few miles with us!

He’s blurred for privacy reasons 😛 but it was so much fun to have him show up and join us!

We caught the last few moments of the sun setting before we got back. 🙂

Gotta love adventuring. 🙂 <3 Every time I go outside I remember who I am and why I’m here. It’s easy to get lost being stuck inside too much.

xxx

<3

V

life is exciting

Published on by VelvetLeave a comment

It’s not always exciting. Sometimes it’s tedious. Sometimes it’s painstaking. Sometimes it’s heart-wrenching. Sometimes it’s confusing. But right now, it’s exciting.

I’m excited! In about a half an hour I’m leaving to go to Washington DC to go dancing for New Year’s Eve.

I might post pictures of what I’m wearing later… but to give you an idea, it’s either going to involve sequins or glitter. Or both. 😀

I’m going with a couple friends from the area and we’re meeting other friends at the event! When we get there we’re all going to take a little siesta before getting glammed up and going out to dinner. Then we’ll pre-game in somebody’s hotel room before hitting the dance floors. There are TEN different ballrooms with live bands.

It’s gonna be lit. 🔥🔥🔥

The dancing goes until 6 or 7 in the morning. :-O I’m not sure how long I’ll make it… I can definitely see myself making it until 4 or 5 though. 😀 <3 🙂

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Yesterday I was driving all day long from the Northeast back to where I live. I drove for ~12 hours. Yep. It would’ve been shorter but we were driving in sleet and 34 degrees which caused 7 accidents on the interstate. The accident slow-downs added about an hour to the drive.

I’m just thankful that my brother and I weren’t one of the accidents!! Especially since he and I got into a minor crash on the way up North. He was driving my car and rear-ended somebody which caused them to rear-end the car in front of them.

Life is exciting, remember?!

Thankfully it was minimal damage and nobody got hurt. Minus some stiffness in my neck for ~3 days. Praise God!!!!

So back to the drive.

Right before the sleet I went to a specialty dance store and bought a pair of salsa shoes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

I’ve been looking at dis pair of shoes for quite some time. This one and a couple others. When I tried them on, they fit like a glove. Love at first sight. Glove? at first fitting? lol

Guyzzzzzzzzzzzzz you don’t understand, I’ve been wanting these shoes FOREVAH

And now dey are mine!!!! :heart_eyes: my own, my precioussss

hahaha

So. Yes. Life is exciting! It feels good to be writing again too! I left my laptop at home during my travels so I could focus on spending quality time with my people and quietness/reading/unplugging from technology 🙂

On that note, God bless you all friends! Happy freakin’ New Year…… whatever you do tonight, have a good time. Smile. Inhale deeply and look up. Appreciate the sky and stars. Or the clouds if you’re in a cloudy spot. Find joy and beauty in the little things and don’t forget to laugh.

Something I’m really going to work on in 2020 is living in the moment. Really taking in my surroundings. Observing. Delighting. Ceasing. Doing things that bring me joy and fulfillment.

I dare you to do the same!

On that note, gotta go to DC!!!!! Updates later 😉

XXX
<3

V

Sense and Sensibility/Adventure

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If you’re into elegant love stories, Sense and Sensibility (S&S) by Jane Austen is a must-read. It tells the tale of two sisters looking for love in the midst of losing their father, fortune and familiarity/comfort of their home. Kind of rings true to my own life actually, except that I don’t have a Colonel Brandon or Edward Ferrars pining after me (read on to know the devilishly handsome blokes I’m referring to!”.

 

Ferrars, Brandon  😉

The story is about love, loss and the importance of waiting on the right timing for magic to happen.

My current roommate is an Austen lover and knows the story (and several other of Austen’s works) practically by heart. When I moved to Virginia in February, it didn’t take long before S&S was in my left hand and a cup of black tea with cream was in my right (also compliments of my tea-drinking-Austen-loving roommate… ps. she’s single!). My roommate, let’s call her “C” kept me accountable for reading by oh-so-innocently inquiring as to where I was in the story and what had happened last. Following each *ahem* interrogation, my feelings went from annoyance, at first, to gratitude and joy in knowing how dearly C held this story in her heart.

Not only did her joy over the story bring me joy, but it gave me a deeper sense of understanding the characters, plot-line and overarching themes in the novel. After weeks of reading the book, we were ready for the film. Of which there were two versions btw. First we watched the Emma Thompson/Hugh Grant/Alan Rickman/ Kate Winslet version (AKA the good one), and then the old sappy one (of which I don’t recall who was in it because it simply wasn’t memorable), and then the good version again. The soundtrack makes me weak in the knees just thinking about it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFQ_N3mSusA

Now, six months later, C & I are ready to hit the theater. We are attending the play! in Washington D.C. this weekend. 🙂 <3 🙂 <3 🙂 <3 The seating availability online looked pretty sparse and we weren’t sure if we’d get seats. I joked that maybe when we want to order, someone will have just returned the two best seats in the house.

Twenty minutes later, I called the theater to inquire about seats and the woman working at the box office said “lucky you called when you did… I have two seats available only because someone just called in and returned them……… and they’re the best seats in the house! Orchestra, row G. Would you like them?”

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awwyeah.jpg

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So that was insane.

Though i couldn’t say “YES” right away because C was on the phone with a friend that was interested in coming with us. I tried to explain the seating situation to C and get her to put her friend on hold, but the lady wouldn’t stawp tawking. I had to tell the box office worker I’d call back, after asking her a dozen or more stalling questions and asking her to please keep the seats warm for us.

5 minutes later, once it was evident that C’s friend couldn’t come whether she wanted to or not, we were calling in for the seats. When the lady answered the phone I vibrantly exclaimed “It’s meeeee!!!” to which she replied, “um, I just took over a shift and wasn’t the one you were talking to”

derp

“… but I got the scoop and figure you’re calling about the two seats in G??”

phew, lol

So there you have it. We’re off to D.C. to see the play. We have the best seats in the house. Which, by the way, we paid the “Under 30” price and saved $70 between the two of us!!! (I have never heard of such a discount before, but hey, I’ll take it!)

It’s truly the little miracles that brighten life so so much. From the story, a seed, to the movie, a plant, and now to the theater, a flower… I hope you get as much ever-growing joy out of this story as we did!! <3

 

xov