Way To Walk

Change in plans. All my boys (big and little) went fishing tonight, so Katie and I are enjoying our girls' evening. It requires a little shuffling on my part (dinner menu gets pushed to tomorrow night, homework needs to be done in the morning), but for the most part it's all good:-) The boys love it and gigging season only lasts til the end of January, so it's not like it's an every night deal...sorta;-)

Since I'm not cooking family dinner (yes, I fed Katie and I, but we don't require all the trimmins' like the boys do!), I had some extra time on my hands. I decided to log more treadmill time because I had something that I've been wanting to try. I have been reading Angela's blog, Oh She Glows and she is a runner and I've been noticing that some of her treadmill time includes walks. But not just any walks...10% incline walks...at 4mph. Um yeah.

I've never done a 10% walk for a constant 30 minutes before. I usually kick it up and then after a couple of minutes, kick it right back down! So I started off and all was good for a few minutes. But it wasn't long before I was reaching for the incline button but I DIDN'T LET MYSELF TOUCH IT...but oh man I wanted to! It was a serious workout. No kidding here, folks. Thirty minutes is a lot longer than you think when you are just steady, steady climbing a 10% hill! I did find, after much shuffling through the iPod, that "I Gotta Feeling" by Black Eyed Peas is the best for hill walking. It had the perfect beat for my stride and it kept me going when I seriously wanted to quit. I must've repeated it 4 or 5 times! Hehe;-)

Ok, so I'm gonna sign off for tonight and enjoy the rest of my girls' evening with Katie. She is the BEST FRIEND a mama could have;-)

xoxo

Lessons From Stefanie

Hello Sunday evening, friends ;-)

I hope that everyone has had a glorious long weekend chock full of things to be thankful for! I know I have. I have had my family around me all weekend, and have certainly felt the love. Awwweee... Believe me, we have been counting our blessings.

I have also managed to keep to my running routine, which is sometimes difficult with schedules changing and things not being in a normal routine. I got up and hit the treadmill for an 11-mile run this morning before church. I watched the Biggest Loser on the NBC website and when the contestants were doing sprints on the treadmills, I raced them ;-) But it did have me thinking that I SO BADLY need to add more strength training to my regimen. So this afternoon, while watching The Proposal, I did a lower body workout. I can really tell the biggest difference in my body when I am lunging and squatting more, it's just getting up the motivation to do it!
Today I did: 50 standing squats,


10 side squats w/ leg lift (each side),


20 leg lifts w/ last rep hold for 30 sec (each side)


10 jump squats
My plan is to do a different body part each day, in addition to my runs of course. Tomorrow I plan to do abs, and Tuesday I'll do arms. We'll see how this goes and if need be, I'll tweak it as I go. But I really need the added benefit of some strength training. Yay!

We had a great service at church this morning. The pastor started in the book of Isaiah, chapter 9 which has the heading "To Us A Child Is Born." That's right. We're talking about Christmas, folks!!! As if December 1 lurking just a couple of days away isn't enough of a wake up call for ya, Christmas sermons being preached will certainly get a person in the Christmas spirit.

Today, Bro. Ron talked about names and how important they are: from what God named each animal as He created it (zebra, what?!), to what we name our children. For example, did you know that "Jesus" means "Jehovah Saves"? I didn't. And it's very cool. Leave it to God to come up with something so beautifully perfect! And the names listed in Isaiah 9:6 for Jesus are awesome as well: Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Here are my notes from the sermon this morning:


I find that when I take notes, I actively listen...and I get so much more out of it!

I really needed to be remined of God's peace this morning because last night, I had one of my mind wandering moments that didn't find me at my best by the time it was bedtime. I innocently picked up the new Sports Illustrated and started flipping through it when I suddenly came across an article on Stefanie Spielman. Stefanie is a mother of 4 and is the wife of NFL player Chris Spielman and a breast cancer survivor. She was diagnosed at the age of 30 and had 4 recurrences until she passed away last week at the age of 42. Here's an article on Stefanie and all she's done for breast cancer awareness and research, but more it's about what she did for other people that she will be treasured and remembered. It's a very positive story about her life and her impact she had on other people, but it's also about her death. And, unfortunately, that's what stood out to me just before bed on a quiet Saturday night. And I'm tellin' ya, the devil just took 'hold of that one little discouraging thought and led me right down that path where I felt like I was drowning. Like I had just had a death sentence given to me. So what to do when satan is coming at you full force?? You fight back. And the verse that kept coming to me was 1 Peter 5:7 "Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you."

I repeated it to myself over and over and over until I felt it in my soul, and until I began to feel some peace. Peace came, then sleep came, then Jesus' characteristic of being the Prince of Peace came. Ahhhhhhhh..... Oh how I needed that this morning. Isn't it awesome how the Lord gives us just what we need when we need it?

So now I am choosing to focus on the life that Stefanie Spielman lived and the legacy that she left behind. I am choosing, today, to focus on the positive and go forward in the name of Jesus. Living today to it's fullest and knowing that God has a plan for me and that He is in control.

And the same goes for YOU! You don't have to have a diagnosis of cancer to need peace. If you could use some peace today, ask Him for it...He will heap it on your head if you ask:-)

xoxo

Oh Happy Day

It has been a wonderful, family- and food-filled day here at our house!  I’m sure most of yours too!  We had the usual spread, deep fried turkey, ham, dressing, mashed potatoes and gravy, mac and cheese, green bean casserole, sweet potatoes, cranberries, rolls…oh my I think the list could go on and on!  And it was ALL so good!!

Mom and Dad and all us kids minus our brother who was at his fiance’s family’s house.

   AND the birthday girl, for the final time this year!  I think 3 birthdays is enough!

Zachary and Ethan playing

Zachary and Caleb getting snuggle time.

I could post pics for days, but now I’m tired and am going to go to bed!  I hope y’all had a great Thanksgiving!

xoxo

Give Thanks

Happy Thanksgiving, Friends!

I just finished up a 6.5 mile run and am getting ready to shower and start getting things ready for the day! I am VERY excited to have everybody here at our house again this year, like NORMAL. I craved normalcy so much at this time last year and now here we are, one year later, and we finally have it. Praise God!

In my java & Jesus time this morning, I listed my top ten things I am most thankful for:

10) Work
9) Home
8) Freedom
7) Strength
6) Health
5) Family & Friends
4) My Kids-Tyler, Zachary, and Katie
3) Jack <3
2) Mercy
1) Salvation

And I could have gone on and on. I hope that everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving and has as many "problems" as I did limiting my list to 10! Love Y'all!!

"Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:18

xoxo

Happy 6th Birthday, Katie!

November 25, 2003 at 9:10pm our little princess entered the world.  Katie Elizabeth weighed in at 7 lbs 3 oz, which was quite impressive considering she was almost a month early!  She was greeted by her very handsome and excited big brothers who couldn’t wait to get their hands on her.  There were also many grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins at the hospital awaiting her arrival.  We don’t do things SMALL y’all!

Wow.  I really does seem like only yesterday!  I can’t believe she SIX already.  Where did the time go?!   

 

My Precious Katie,

I wish I could put into words how much you mean to me.  You are the perfect princess that we prayed for to complete our family.  I remember being 9 months pregnant and doing that first load of baby clothes laundry and opening the dryer to a beautiful load of just PINK fluff!  It just brought joy to my heart and a smile to my face.  I remember praying, “Dear God, please give me a little girl who will be my best friend and never leave my side.”  Whoa.  You, my daughter, are proof that God answers prayers.  From day 1 you have been by my side.  Even though some days I ask you many times when you are going to sleep in your own bed, inside I am dreading the day when you want to.  So I will cherish every warm, snuggly moment!

When I pray for you everyday, I ask God to keep you healthy and safe.  I pray that He will place a hedge of protection all around you and keep you safe from harm.  I know that I can’t watch out for you all the time, but I know that we serve a God who can, and DOES.  I pray that you will take the love of Jesus in your heart wherever you go, and that others will be able to see His light shine through you.  I also pray that God will leave me here to see you grow and hopefully give me grandbabies someday.  A loooonnnnggg time from now, just so you know;-) 

Thank you for enriching our lives and being a blessing to everyone you meet.  Happy Birthday, sweet girl.  I love you more than you know <3

~Mama

Preparation

"So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness." Colossians 2:6-7

What A Weekend!

Oh wow.  I am a wiped out girl this afternoon.  We have had 3 days of go-go-go and now I’m ready to collapse!  It was all good, fun stuff though so everything was TOTALLY worth it!  Let’s recap:

FRIDAY: Katie had her first-ever friend birthday party!  She will be 6 this Wednesday and with Thanksgiving and stuff going on I thought it would be better to separate things just a little.  So she had 7 of her little friends over from 5-7 for a Fancy Nancy party.  It was the.cutest.thing.ever!  They were giggly and “fancy” and they squealed with delight every time a present was opened.  OMGosh.  Precious.  And after everybody left and the boys had all gone to bed, I sat up with Katie in the living room as she played with all her new toys; I was watching and thinking that I am SO thankful that I am here to enjoy every single moment.

SATURDAY:  My sister, Jessica, is 32 weeks pregnant and while our other sister, Layne, and I are throwing her a baby shower in a couple of weeks, her school-friends and fellow teachers threw her a shower at her fave mexican restaurant in PB.  We had lunch and then got to watch her open some wonderful baby goodies!  It was a great day.  After we got home and the boys got in from hunting, we went out to eat and then came home to collapse!

 

SUNDAY:  I got up at 630am this morning and had my coffee with my devotion time.  Around 7 I hit the treadmill for a lovely half-marathon, 13.1 miles!  I completed my run in 2hrs 3min 37sec…just in time to get cleaned up and head to church!  Afterwards, Zachary, Katie, and I headed to PB to eat lunch and go see Planet 51.  I was afraid that all hype over New Moon would makes things rather hectic and crazy, and while the parking lot was very full, the rest of the theater experience was pretty normal today.  The movie was cute, but you put a tired mama with a full belly in a dark theater and you had a good opportunity to sleep!  I closed my eyes a couple of times, but I don’t think I ever actually dozed off.  I don’t think ;-)

As for the rest of the week, we are just preparing for Thanksgiving on Thursday.  Everyone from both families (mine and Jack’s) comes to our house for Thanksgiving and it is beyond wonderful.  I love Thanksgiving!!  And this year, we are especially thankful for our many blessings. 

xoxo