My Wild Side (lol)

Good morning!! Today I'm currently on a crazy wildly fun adventure that I'll probably share about later. But for now, here's a post that was super fun to write!

This post is all about adventures! Guys. I'm. Not. Adventurous. (Or am I?)

Interestingly enough, I've had my fair share of adventures... In today's post, I'm going to be talking about them. 

"I was a wild child, Zoe." -Mom's Night Out 

Ahem. Now that I got that out of my system, lets start this post! I also linked back to related posts.

Twenty Adventures worth mentioning: 

White Water Rafting 

I've gone white water rafting once, and it was a BLAST! Like, so fun and exciting! Honestly, I didn't feel as scared as I thought I would. I actually kinda got into it. Our guide was very skilled and that made a lot of difference! Also, I belly laugh every time I see the pictures. lol.

(Also on this trip, I jumped off a boulder into the water!)

Zip Lining

*blog graphic picture*

I've gone zip lining twice! And the second time, I went zip lining in a cavern! Talk about a.d.v.e.n.t.u.r.e! 

Rock Climbing 

I've only been rock climbing indoors, but the few times I've done it, it's been fun! And quite the forearm exercise...

Horse Riding 

Riding Rosie definitely qualifies as an adventure! Hitting the ground coming off of a 1,000 pound animal at a high speed is not recommended by yours truly, but when you live to tell the tale, it does make for an exciting adventure.

Parasailing 

OK, so this adventure, I had to be talked into. Like, why would I want to be suspended by a parachute thing over a large body of water filled to the brim with ocean life? That doesn't make logical sense if you want to live a good, long life! But--nonetheless, I was persuaded. And I'm rly glad I got to go on this adventure! Such a fun family memory!

Roller Coaster 

So, I've been on quite a few roller coasters. But, the last time we went (years ago), I stepped outside of my comfort zone and rode a upside down roller coaster! Talk about scary! Honestly, it went by so fast, I barely remember it. *winks*

Mountain Roller Coaster

This was a lot of fun! 

Rooftop Party :) 

I know, I know. Totally unlike me to go to a "rooftop party." It's not how it sounds. Besides the fact that I had to be around people my age and stand on top of a rly tall building, there wasn't much "adventurous" about that experience! But. I had to mention it!

Water Park 

The only reason I mention this one is I once went down a really tall waterslide that went straight down! Literally straight down. I'm actually still surprised I had enough courage for this one...

Ride and Tie

I was 12 years old when I did this adventure with my sis. A Ride and Tie is like a trail endurance race for horse and rider as well as a runner. This was such a fun adventure! We got to ride a horse that we had never ridden before, (riding said horse through unknown trails, over roads, and through a creek) for a four mile Ride and Tie! (But, it was longer than 4 miles bc we got lost.)

That was a spontaneous trip that is definitely a special memory.

Jet ski

Jet skiing is not very adventurous unless you yourself is not very adventurous... then even jet skiing can be scary at times. Especially when you've been on a jet ski that's flipped over. As scary as it was in the moment, I'll still smile when I think about that adventure. ("I can't touch!")

Now, my water skiing attempt didn't go so well. I kinda sorta just got drug across the lake.

Kayaking at Night

Yup. I've been kayaking in the pitch dark. It was an experience. *grins* 

Four Wheeler 

Riding four wheelers can be fun. It can also be crazy scary. I guess that's why I decided to mention it as one of my adventures. (Like rolling it in the creek and somehow surviving with it landing on top of us. God is good, y'all.)

Houseboat 

So... I slept in a boat, out on the water, tied to whatever was on the rocky land for 4 days. Now, that was an adventure!

Henna Tattoos 

I've had a henna tattoo done by a professional artist, but I've also done my own! I guess it's not too wild, but kinda?

Here is a design I did on my cousins!

5Ks & Mud Runs

We've done lots of 5ks! And I've only won once in my age group when I was younger, but it's still fun to participate!  

We've also done a few mud runs! Great team work! <3

Triathlon 

Yeah, that was fun! And wild.  (Especially the practice round, lol...) We canoed, ran, and then biked (18 miles) to the finish line! 

Go Carting 

Go carts are fun! One time, we even did the ones where you have to put on a helmet...

Snow Skiing

So, I've been snow skiing a few times. All on man made snow. And surprisingly, I don't crash as much as I thought I would. (Now, I did fall just standing in line, lol) Saying I'm "good" at it would be a stretch. But I'm not half bad. On the less scary slopes. Plz don't put me on a Black Dimond! 

Little Dirt Bike Episode 

Notice "episode." The reason I remember this being adventurous is because when I was little (I mean, real little!) I was learning how to ride our little motorcycle. Long story short, I got the gas and the break mixed up. My dad literally chased me down as I kept going faster and faster (trying to stop!) Thankfully, as I hit the tree line of our property, there was a water hose strung between the trees that stopped me. 

Oh, and I might as well tell y'all of the time I flipped over one of those little kids cars. Note that this was when I was even younger than the motorcycle adventure. (Riding with the same cousin I flipped the four wheeler over with.) Guys! I'm accident prone, and I'm not even trying to be crazy! Trust me, I'm very responsible... *puts on my best convincing smile* It's true, just things seem to always happen when I'm the one driving. 

^^Those were my favorite boots! 

^^ My dad is way more adventurous than I am... *winks* But if I’m adventurous, it probably comes from him... XD
 

Now it's your turn! What adventures have you gone on? 

On a level of 1-10, how adventurous are you? How adventurous would you say I am? Who's most adventurous in your family?

Comment Below! 

Also, let's not forget most recently when I climbed Grandfather Mountain in NC! There were ladders bolted into the side of the mountain. And cables to hang on to! Yikes!

Many Blessings, Brooklyne Elysse

I Survived... (Promised Post About Our Tough Mudder Adventures)

As promised, I am posting about our...*Drumroll* *Confetti* *Mud* *And all of the above*... Tough Mudder adventure! 

About mid-September, me, my mom, sisters, cousins, Auntie, and my older sisters boyfriend and his mom all decided to be a team in a Tough Mudder. Overall, It was a bunch of fun, and I can't with to tell y'all about it! 

Without knowing it, I have kind of made a blog series out of my "I Survive" posts. So, from now on, if I do any crazy, epic, muddy, triathlon, 5k-ish things, I will add to this series! Page coming soon with them all listed. Also, on a side note: Pages coming soon for a Health page and a My Beliefs page, so stay tuned and bare with me. Because they are coming! :)

Read about my first "I Survived" post HERE. 
And the second "I Survived" post HERE.

Lets begin, shall we...

You ask, what exactly is a Tough Mudder? Well, let me tell you, a Tough Mudder is very similar to the Mud Gauntlet, in that it is obstacles in the MUD and it's as long as a 5k. But, instead of the 35 smaller obstacles like the other mud gauntlet we did, this had 10 bigger and more challenging obstacles!!! Throughout the course, some of the obstacles were so hard that their was no choice, you had to work together as a team. Even if that required you to trust some stranger while you dangled into mid-air! 

We decided to make a weekend trip out of it, and drove down the day before. It took us most of the day to get to our hotel, and when we did, we went swimming! 

After sundown, we drove into Nashville and walked up and down broadway! All I can say is WOW and another wow! It was so cool to walk the streets that famous country singers walked, especially when first starting out! There was one girl who played the fiddle and tap danced in her cowboy boots, she was really good! 

And yet, on the other hand, it was sad. I have never seen such a crowded city! Shoulder to shoulder, and stuck in the middle of a sea of people. Lots and lots of people. Homeless people, drunk people, all kinds of people. I felt sorry for them, and wondered if they were happy with where they were at. I just don't understand it. I especially felt bad for the homeless people with dogs.

I hope someday, those people will find that God can fill the holes and emptiness a whole lot better than when they try to fill them with worldly things. (Romans 12:2) (John 16:33) 

The next morning, we got up bright and early. For breakfast, I ate half of a waffle at the hotel. We got to the place where they had the Tough Mudder, and parked in a big field. Once we got "checked in" we wrote our number on our arms with a sharpie. Our team name was "The young and the rest of us!" Our start time was at 9:30!

We stood in the start line, crowded with participants. They did the National Anthem then they revved the crowd up. We started out at a slow jog. We went through this big field until finally rounding the corner to a MUD PIT! :) Following that first mud pit, there were hay bales to climb, a obstacle called that was 0.2 miles of smaller mud pits in a row, a 300 yard hero carry, a slanted wall (maybe 6'), "Everest 2.0" Which is a very tall sloped wall you run up and grab people at the top to pull you up, and lots more! (Note: everything was super slippery!)

The one at the end was, by far, the hardest obstacle.

It was called "happy ending," and was a steep, slightly slanted, slippery wall. You had two choices to conquer this last test of strength, you could just use the provided rope, or make a "rope" out of your team. And can you guess what we chose to do?? 

Yes, our team, with the help of three others, chose the hard way! How you made a "rope" was basically we stood onto of each other to make a tower of bodies up the wall, so that others could crawl up. 

Auntie was on the bottom, and for some reason, I got up next (at that time, I really could not comprehend what my job would entail!) So, I stood on my Auntie's shoulders and leaned up against the wall. My younger cousin went next, standing on my shoulders. Then, my older cousins crawled up us to the top, and helped those who climbed up next.

There was a point when my knees were buckling. The weight on my shoulders from people climbing up was so heavy, that "very heavy" was a understatement. I wanted to give up, to give in. And I felt so sorry for my Auntie, who had to carry more weight than I! I don't know how we did it, but our whole team finally made it to the very top! What an accomplishment! We were so happy to have made it. And at the top, we slid down a slide into muddy water! 

Guys, it took a lot of self-talk and and encouragement to make it through that last obstacle. 

Mud runs aren't the only places we experience obstacles in our paths. Every day, we encounter obstacles that tower over us. They are intimidating and scary. And sometimes, we just can't overcome those obstacles on our own, we need encouragement from those around us. We also need to realize that we need Someone bigger to help us through. God is that Someone, and He already knows the paths you will take and the obstacles you will overcome! Let Him be your steady hand when you feel yourself falling. 

After we crossed the finish line, we picked up our t-shirts and showered off! Overall it was a blast! It was challenging, but it was so so so fun! 

The drive home was filled with LOTS of country music singing! Hours and hours! Our overall favorite to sing together was Champion by Carrie Underwood! :)

10 things we all can learn from a Tough Mudder:
1. Teamwork is a must!
2. Go for it! Commit and just do it!
3. Cheer each other on.
4. Give it all you got, and do the best you can!
5. Stay positive.
6. It is ok to need help.
7. The muddier the better!
8. When you feel like caving, don't.
9. YOU can do it! 
10. God will bring you through! 

Here's some pictures...!

Before the fun began!

Starting off! Look at all those people!

 After floating in the mud under that fence! 

Best friends forever! 

 After showering off...

Standing on a mound of mud! 

End of "Happy ending!"

Yay! The finish line!

Have you ever done anything like this? Are you a good team player? What are some way's that we can encourage each other through the obstacles they face in their day to day lives? I hope y'all have a awesome October!!! 

Lets talk in the comments below!