I think it's been a week?

Well I kind of fell off the grid there for a couple of days. I have been sick for the past two days. I wonder what the caloric make-up is of a Dayquil? On Friday I was really excited because I thought that Jordan and I were going to get to go to a Christmas party for his company, where I got to get dressed up, what girl doesn't like to do that? Well, I guess Jordan waited too long to get tickets so no party for me, I'm not gonna lie I ate three trick-or-treat candy bars to try and make me feel better. So I'm not sure how effective I will be at working out this week. For the past three days I have been eating bits and pieces of food (I seriously cannot remember what I ate). I think I had a banana yesterday...
I have zero creativity today so this is about it for my post. Sorry for the amount of lame I am giving off right now.

Day 3

Well I was really excited because I had a pear for breakfast, took my multi-vitamin (because you are supposed to eat it with food) and a glass of water. Then I threw up my pear because apparently a pear isn't food enough for the dumb vitamin. I was planning on going to the cycling class that morning but the throwing up kind of put a damper on that plan. So I thought, I worked out two days in a row, I'm gonna take the day off. Then I thought UGH I have to tell everyone that I didn't work out and they will think I'm lame. So I went for a walk at the park. I guess it's better than nothing. I don't remember what I had for lunch, so I'm guessing it wasn't much. And Jordan and I ended up going out for dinner after our leadership meeting. I had an omlette with egg whites, it was amazing! Something I need to work on, going to bed earlier. Midnight is too late for me.

Lame day 2

Day 2

I had a bowl of Multi-Grain Cheerios. Now i can see why Gabby won't eat them

I decided to put workout clothes on after I took a shower. Maybe to motivate me to go to the gym? Knowing that I wasn't going until almost 6 that night.

For lunch I had a handful of Wheat Thins and tuna.....lame

I think I did 100 loads of laundry, so that has to count as some form of a caloric burn right?

Finally went to the gym with a friend. We took a class. I think that lady was trying to kill us.

And a drum roll please for dinner....steam sugar snap peas and carrots. For dessert another pear.

Well this blog is going to be this lame for the next 4 weeks. I better lose this weight or I will hurt someone. And I wanted to eat a Kit Kat last night but I didn't a. because I am an honest person and I knew I would have to tell you I did that and know that you all would judge me and b. if I did eat it and lied to you I know that liars go to Ohio. It's cold there.

Muffin Tops RULE!

So, I did a 21 day fast and lost about 5-7 lbs. That was a month ago, I pretty much gained around 3-5 lbs since then…..I have a pile of jeans that are sitting in a corner mocking me because I can’t fit into them YET! I’ll show you pile of jeans! I have roughly 10 pounds to lose until I am at the weight I was before I got pregnant with Gabby. Things that I have learned over the past year are, Chili Cheese Burritos should NOT be a staple food in your diet, your metabolism is MUCH slower the closer you get to 30, you do NOT need to eat a whole bag of chocolate on any day EVER! And my sister-in-law will love this one, meat can be over rated (but I’m not committed to being a vegetarian).  So, I am really wanting to kick those jeans ass and fit into them again..by Christmas? I’m not sure if I’m over committing myself to this one but, we will see how it goes. I might just wear them, muffin top and all on Christmas. Your welcome Minnesota family! Now that this is on the internet, public information to the WORLD, I either need to do it, or go into hiding. I am going to keep track of what I do every day so you all can take part on this insane journey for 4 weeks. I don’t care if you don’t care, I’m writing anyways.

Day 1

Had rolled oats, cinnamon and raisins for breakfast, it’s not as good as the stuff with the dude with the hat on the package (I’m not getting paid to endorse products so forget names)

Went to a cycling class at 9AM! I suppose I am feeling really ambitious.

Almost threw up and died during the class.

Went to my storage unit to get all of the Christmas decorations. Of COURSE they would be in the back at the bottom. Does this count as weight lifting?

 Set up my Christmas tree, Seriously? The lights don’t work?

Went to Target to buy new lights. These better work or I’m gonna punch someone.

Crap I forgot to eat lunch. I never thought I would say those words ever. Who forgets to eat?

For dinner, steamed vegetables. I would rather starve. UGH.

I usually want to eat a bag of chocolate by 8pm, and I stated earlier that this isn’t a good idea. So I had a pear. I feel depression slowly creeping up on me. LOL.

And all of you who know me, know I will drink coffee like a champ, I didn’t have any today. I think that deserves a bag of chocolate…. 

The truth will set you freeeeee

The Book of Joel isn’t exactly a book in the Bible for the faint of heart. Especially when what he’s talking about mirrors what we are going through today. Here in Texas I believe we are going on like day 35 of triple digit heat. Farmers are losing their crops because there hasn’t been rain, lakes are drying up and people are dying because it has been so hot here. It’s getting pretty serious, and there has been talk that this could last for a while, like October. Now, we can blame it on pollution, global warming or whatever else that makes us feel better, but what if it’s something different? This weather isn’t crazy just here in the US. Look around the world. Record breaking earthquakes, tsunamis, drought it’s everywhere. Could this be the hand of God? It’s been prophesied for thousands of years about the thing s to happen before Jesus returns, and prophecy is coming to pass every day. The point of this post isn’t to strike fear or anxiety in anyone because God is still on the throne and tells us in 2 Chronicles 7:14, “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” In this verse God isn’t talking about just anyone, He’s speaking directly to those of us that are Christians. We have been given authority over evil, and we as Christians have been asleep and in denial about all of the terrible evil things that are happening in the world. I like this quote, “If the land is in broken condition, it is not because the heathen are acting as heathen, but because the church is not acting as the church.” OUCH! I fall in this category of the church not acting as the church. Christians (and I am going to use this in the broad sense, if you are living according to the Word then don’t get offended at this statement) have been lazy, arrogant leaders. We have compromised and have conformed to the way the world does things to “try and be relevant.” “Relevant” (for the most part) means sleeping around, watching porn, cussing, watching things that if Jesus was sitting next to you, you would be ashamed to watch, ungodly relationships, and the list goes on and on. I’m not perfect because as one point in my life I have done all of the above, but I was unsaved. So, this behavior is to be expected from those who don’t know any better, I’m not condoning it, but you have to have grace and mercy for the un-enlightened.

It’s hard to stand up against what everyone else is doing, and the church is no exception. We will be mocked, criticized, un-friended on Facebook, talk about behind our backs, called crazy or fanatic. They did worse to Jesus and He said to expect it as followers of Him. At what point are we going to get out of the valley of decision with the unbelievers and start acting like the Christ followers that we are? Does acting like Jesus mean to become “better” than people? Absolutely NOT! It means to get your crap together, learn who you are in the Lord and be ok with who He made you to be, get filled with the Spirit (another subject for another day but extremely important to know about) and then go out and show the love of Christ to those around you. Feed the hungry, love the loveless bring hope to the hopeless, be humble but confident and for heaven’s sake PRAY! Change starts with you. If you are broken get healed, let Jesus work on the inside of you.

We need to come together instead of working against each other and go out and be the light in the world. When the world is falling apart it is our JOB as Christians to show them who is really in control and that is God.

Again I can’t stress enough the utmost importance of prayer. If your job sucks pray that there will be change. If your marriage is broken and so is your heart pray for restoration and for your heart to be healed, if you are sick pray for God to heal you. Life and death is in the power of the tongue and those who love it will eat its fruit (proverbs 18:21), you have the ability to speak life or death into your situation.

If you are reading this thinking that I am angry, well I am sort of angry. Not at any of you but at the Body of Christ as a whole. I fall under this category so I am also guilty. I will always try to point my finger at me first before I point it at anyone else. There are plenty of areas where I need to grow and this is an area that God has really been stressing. If we can come together the things we could accomplish would be endless.

I challenge you to reflect on the areas of your life where God is convicting you to make change. Take the step and begin the process of change.  

P.S.  If Jesus isn’t Lord of your life read my Blog “choices choices” and there is prayer you can pray to become a part of this beautiful family.

What JUST HAPPENED?

I was about 3 hours into my drive and I was in the middle of nowhere Oklahoma. Gabby started crying and I knew it was time for her to eat so I saw an exit coming up, and as I approached I see this ghetto wood sign that says something along the lines of “best animal exhibit in the nation.” Two thoughts came to mind, what kind of animals do they have out here in the middle of nowhere and will I be killed by some toothless inbred if I go there? I decided to take my chances. So I pulled off the highway and pulled into this parking lot that is literally across from a trailer park, not a nice one either. I say a prayer that I won’t get murdered and got all of the kids out of the car. We go up to the door and there is a sign that says they are not responsible for animal bites…sounds safe enough! I go in and pay for us to have a private escort through the exhibit because at the end of it the kids would get to play with a baby tiger (the white ones with the blue eyes). We walked through the exhibit and we came to the cage that had porcupines in it. Now from all of the cartoons I have ever seen the porcupine would shoot its quills at you, so I’m quickly escorting my children away from the chain link fence so we don’t get quills shot at us. BUT just so you know they don’t shoot them at all. Just don’t brush up against them. Anyways, there was a guy going in to feed them and the porcupines ran to the door because they saw the food and they followed him through the cage like puppies. They each knew their names too which I thought was cool. This guy saw the boys watching and he gave each of them a quill! I immediately took them and put them in my purse because it would become impaled in one of them and as the sign said they take no responsibility! There were Lions and tigers and LIGERS! Yes, they do exist. At the end we were brought into this cage and the woman who was escorting us brought out this baby tiger and the kids got to play with it. After we were done we went back inside and I got 4 waters and 4 icees. It cost me $14!

Because I knew I would be going through a toll in Kansas I withdrew $20 before I left, I decided to pay for the waters with my cash. I was given $6 back. And that was NOT enough to get me through the toll. I got to the toll in Kansas and I was certain that when I stop to fill up with gas I can withdraw more so I don’t have to worry about it. I get to the ATM and of course it says “out of order.” Why wouldn’t it! So I have a 5 and a 1 rubbing them together hoping they make babies because I have NO IDEA how I am going to get through the toll, it costs like $15. So I was asking God to do something because I don’t know what to do. I get to the exit where I have to pay. There is a long line of like 6 cars at one of the toll windows but I notice at the end there is a green arrow blinking showing that that line was open, so I pull all the way over to that one, I get to the window and the lady says, “that will be $6.……..” I handed it to her like what just happened was normal.

Now am I saying that was an angel at that window? Perhaps, I don’t know what happened all I know is God pulled through for me. Hebrews 13:2 says, “Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.” I know it’s talking about being hospitable here BUT the point is, angels are among us.

It was a fun trip through the backwoods animal exhibit, the kids will remember that AND God showed me that He’s got it covered.  

Your perception will determine your attitude

So I know it’s been a LONG time since I have written. And I would like to give a shout out to Jordan because he is the one that actually said something about it which says to me that he learns new things when he reads them and is in need of a new revelation. So if no one else gets anything out of this, here you go Jordan.

I just got back from my road trip to Minnesota. I packed up all four kids, said a quick prayer for sanity and off I went.  I took this same trip last summer, same time but I was pregnant with Gabby and my life was in a state of uncertainty. Not between Jordan and I, just with some big life choices that we had to make. Out of respect for the other party I will not further explain the choices. I was in a place where I was spiritually dry and wanted so badly for God to tell us what we wanted to hear because that would have made everything so much easier; but, He didn’t. He told us to do the most difficult thing that we have ever had to do.

Back to the trip last year. I enjoyed myself but I had this cloud over my head and was constantly thinking about the choice we had to make. I over looked the beauty around me. I neglected the family that was around and wasn’t completely present.

This year was so much different. I went with clarity and with excitement and joy. I took in everything that I missed last year, the drive up there was beautiful. I got to see the rolling prairies of Kansas, the “best animal exhibit in the nation” in Oklahoma, the sunset over Missouri. It was really beautiful. I was completely open to what God wanted to show me and teach me. Because of my willingness, a miracle happened and during my vacation my cup ran over and God showed me that my church isn’t only one doing amazing things. All of these things have long stories behind them. Maybe this week I will blog about them.

For the past year I had been hiding behind a rock from God. And I actually told people that I was hiding from God, because I was afraid of what He would say to me or ask me to do. I allowed the enemy to twist my perception and the reality of God’s nature. Which is love and only love. When we made the choice to surrender our future to God I took the step out from behind the rock and I said, “ok God, show me, teach me and tell me what you want me to see, know and do.”  I spiritually woke up. This has been an amazing past couple of months. I have learned more, loved more and prayed more than I ever have. I feel like by me surrendering, I shed the things that were holding me back and that this year I will learn more about who God is and by doing that, l learn more about who I am. I know that I am fearfully and wonderfully made. That God loves me and has a plan and a purpose for my life. I am blessed and highly favored. God’s thoughts towards me are precious and if I counted them they would be more in number than the sand. By the way, these are all things that God feels towards you too, it says so in the B-I-B-L-E. You don’t have to be perfect, you don’t have to have all the answers for Him to love you. He loves you right now. Right where you are and in your current condition.

I feel so alive and I feel confident with who God has created me to be.

Here is my challenge for you. What have you been afraid to do or choice to make? What rock are you hiding behind? (If you are hiding behind a rock just an FYI, God can still see you back there). Step out from behind the rock and make the step in God’s direction. Let Him lead you. He will never leave you alone, He will never forget about you and He will never tell you to do something that will hurt you or that you can’t handle. Sometimes the choices can hurt our emotions, like letting go of a relationship or closing a chapter in your life, but it will be better for you in the long run. Let God change your perception of who He is and what He has put you here on this Earth to do.

Our lives are too short to be afraid. There is too little time for us to hide from the person God has created us to be. Go out and be an answer to the chaos in the world. He has created us to do great things. Wake up if you are spiritually sleeping, a big world is waiting for you.