Good Conversations

Rose was an hour late for school today because I fell asleep and didn't hear the alarm go off but otherwise it was another gorgeous day in Denton town! I absolutely love this time of year. If I could, I would be outside all day long. Maybe I should take a blanket to the park tomorrow and just sleep there. How glorious!

Oh my goodness, even though I cut my workout short yesterday I am so sore today! My legs!! But I powered through and completed todays workout which was 100 high knees, 100 lunge kicks (50 on each leg) using weight, 100 more high knees, 100 squats using weight, 100 MORE high knees (by this time I thought my muscles were going to burst through my skin because they were burning so bad!), 25 straight abs sit-ups, 50 V abs (25 on each side), and 25 bicycle abs. Wowza. I felt amazing afterwards...kind of like I might fall over when I walked...but I had a great sense of accomplishment. I've also noticed some nice toning happening thanks to all of these workouts and thanks to the Amino Acid supplement I'm taking. It's ridiculously wonderful!

I was definitely feeling thankful for the small things today, like conversations. For the last year and half that I've lived in Denton I've had my head buried in school work and haven't had much time to reach out and make friends. The last three months have been great because not only have I friended a couple moms that have girls in Rose's ballet class but I've also found a great small group. I'm telling you; if you don't have a community of people to fellowship with then you're missing out. Tonight at homegroup we were studying Galatians 3 and I was completely encouraged while talking about the freedom that we have in Christ. I'm thankful that my hope isn't found in a set of rules that I have to follow but instead it's found in a God who has invited me to be part of His chosen people. Breaking out into small discussion groups was such a blessing as well. I was able to verbalize a lot of the things that I've been thinking lately and it felt so good! It's nice to get thoughts out of your head and out into the open. I also loved hearing exciting things and prayer needs from the other girls.

Mayne! Today was the bomb.com

It's my last night at work for the week and i am so thrilled. I only work four nights a week but they always seem like such long weeks. At least tonight I can catch up on New Girl which is my new FAVORITE show. I don't think i've ever laughed so hard at a television show. This is my favorite clip:

 Suppress the Jess... I can relate to that.

A Mediocre Day With Some Amazing Chicken

I almost made it out for a run this morning. The weather was so perfect but by the time I got home I just did not have the energy to change clothes and get out of the house again. There were two things that I knew would happen as a result of either going running or not going running. I knew that if I went running I would not do the strength workout that was scheduled for today. I also knew that if I didn't go running I would regret it. It was a double edged sword. But alas, my bed was so comfortable when I climbed in :) Rose didn't have to be at school until 10:00 this morning so I got a couple extra hours of snooze time in. That's a big deal for me considering I average only 4-5 hours of sleep a day during the work week.

Here is what did happen during my workout: I was planning to do a pyramid style workout today that consisted of push-ups using an equalizer, side lunges holding weight, step over squats using an equalizer and weight, and kick lunges using weight; a total of 330 reps. The repetitions were boring me out of my mind today. By the time I got halfway through I wanted to to quit not so much because it was hard but because I was so so bored. So I decided that on days when I'm scheduled to to pyramid style workouts (which is usually Tuesdays and Thursdays) I'm only going to do half of the workout but I'm also going to add in a run... and I will go for a run! ;)

Today was a fairly mediocre day but I did make some amazing lime-infused, honey-crusted chicken. I meant to take a picture of my own but I was already eating it by the time I remembered : /

Picture borrowed from theenchantedcook.blogspot.com

I think that chicken can be so bland (unless it's fried) but this was really awesome. I wish I would have been able to grill it but cooking it on the stove was a good substitute. It was so good that I decided to take it for lunch at work. Yum! If you like things that taste good then I highly recommend this.

Well, I carried on with my lesson in staying faithful in every season today. Part two of this study was really good because it talks about leaning on God in our success so that we can lean on him in our difficultly. I think that as we mature in our relationship with God this does get easier but not without a constant reminder. The hard days are harder when I 'forget' that God is with me and that he is my steady rock. Yesterday's thoughts took me through the early years of King David's life and today I'm looking at the years he spent experiencing earthly fame and success. I could write paragraphs about the specific verses that I love in the book of 1 Samuel but instead I think you should go read it for yourself and have your world rocked.

I know that God's timing is perfect. I know this. Nevertheless when God makes that perfect timing evident in my life I am completely blown away.

The Small Days

I got a little behind on my posts towards the end of the week so I'll start where I left off....

The wedding was wonderful. It was so simple and stylish (as I knew it would be) and you could definitely feel the love in the air.

Here is a picture of the sweet couple, Jacob and Kalli. They are super cool.

And I know you're dying to know which dress I wore... it was the red one ;)

Myself, Brandie, and Megan 

I also got to catch up with one of my best friends, Janelle, this weekend. We don't see each other that often but when we do get together it's like no time has past. I just love that girl. She will also be getting married soon! I'm so excited for her. 

Today was such an amazingly beautiful day. It was so sunny and warm outside but sadly I had to spend most of the day sleeping since I work overnight. I did get outside for a good workout this afternoon after I picked Rose up from school. I skipped my workout on Thursday and Friday and I never workout on the weekends so getting back into it was bit rough today.  I know I'll be sore tomorrow but I kind of love that. Although I love the workout plan that I'm on I am starting to realize that I really miss doing cardio, like running. It's hard to find time to fit in a run unless I do it at 6 am when I get off work but I might try that out tomorrow morning...

It's only Monday and I've already been challenged spiritually this week! Gotta love that! It's really exciting when God puts a vision in your mind and plants a seed in your heart that gets your fired up about doing work for His kingdom. What's not exciting is the waiting period. I just always assumed that after college things would fall into place, a job would open up, I'd be led to serve in a unique way and in a unique place. I never thought that several months after graduation I'd still be working overnight as a hotel operator. I mean, give me a break! Well, this weekend I was reading a lesson on learning faithfulness in every season. The lesson focused on King David but more specifically it focused on his time prior to becoming king. God told him he was going to be king when we was like 17 years old. So for twenty years he waited, knowing what was in store for him, but not knowing when it would come to fruition. Honestly, part of me starts to freak out when I think that I may have to wait twenty years to see what God has for me but then I remind myself that he is a faithful God and will bless me in my journey. Here are some of the major points from the lesson:

1) When we are faithful in small beginnings, the Lord begins to release some of his promises concerning our destiny. David, as a young boy, probably expected to be a shepherd for the rest of his life but he was faithful in his duties everyday. 

2) The small days are for a reason. We can use the small days to grow in our intimacy with God. Matthew 25:21says, "Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things." 

3) This is a place where we learn to find satisfaction not in what God has for us but in God himself. When you find your identity in God alone you will learn to live in peace, with the absence of striving. 

4) This is a place to discover that your success comes not from what you do but from who you are in God. (I struggle with this one big time!) Our greatest success is being loved by God and being a lover of God. Nothing else can define us in eternity. 

So this week I'm going to focus my energy on becoming more intimate with my God and training myself to use every moment as a moment to glorify Him. I am a lover of the Lord and that has defined who I am and where I'm going.

A Day Behind

Well I'm a day behind. I don't have internet at my house so unless I get to a coffee shop on my days off of work I have a hard time posting. And I just couldn't find the time to go sit at a coffee shop yesterday. PLUS, the one I really like to go to requires that you purchase something if you're going to use the internet, you can't just freeload like you're at Starbucks, and since I'm doing Blood:Water Mission's 40 Days of Water I didn't want to make a purchase. So, here we are... A day behind. But that's okay. 

I'm in the process of completing a month long total body workout routine that uses body weight to add resistance. Yesterdays plan looked pretty intense as I've moved into using the more difficult workout outline. It consisted of a lot of walking pushups, jumping things, burpees (shoot me) and abs. I'll go ahead and be honest... I skipped it. It was so cold and rainy outside I just couldn't bring myself to going out. Oh well... Like I said, A day behind.  

I joined in on my first team leader call for the Venture Expeditions trip I'm co-leading this summer. We are raising money for International Justice Mission and riding our bikes 509 miles from Cincinnati, Oh to Washington D.C. Stepping into the planning process of the trip is so exciting. I love meeting my teammates via Facebook. I have a game that I like to play; I try and figure out their personality quirks as we communicate over the web. Then, when I actually meet them in person several months later I compare what I thought to reality. It's fun. The thing I love about people is that they always have a surprise for you in regards to who they actually are, and because Venture attracts some of the coolest people that I've ever met, I can't wait to see how my team surprises me! 

So, I'm going to a wedding... This particular wedding has been on my mind for a few weeks because I'm stressing over what I'm going to wear. I'm not normally like this. I can usually be found in some jeans and my Chacos and if I have to dress up, well, I'll just pull some dress out of the closet. But this is a different wedding...It's Kali and Jacob's wedding. They were hipster before it was cool to be hipsters. They invented the term hipster yet they are oblivious to how they have impacted the world. It's sure to be the Etsy wedding of the season so I have to be on my A-game. You never know if you might end up in a reception picture. So, I traveled the long distance to the mall yesterday to find something to wear. I don't like the mall because it signifies everything I stand against but I knew that I had to do it if I stood any chance of fitting in at this wedding. (<---- I know that that statement is contradicting.) Anyway, I went to H&M because their clothes are cute and inexpensive. I tried on so many dresses. I finally got it narrowed down to two... We shall see which one I end up wearing. 

Can you find Rose in each of the pictures? She had fun with all the clothes. She really likes when I get dressed up but unfortunately for her that doesn't happen very often. 

Do you like getting dressed up? What is your favorite piece of clothing?  

Wellness

Today is day 21 of my AdvoCare 24 Day Challenge. The 24 days takes you through an herbal cleanse and energy boost. I promise you I haven't felt this good in a long time. I'm typically really aware of how I am feeling and what my body is telling me so when I started the challenge it was really easy for me to note the changes that were taking place. Almost instantly I had a higher metabolism, more energy, a better appetite, and my previously incurable palette for sugar and simple carbs has vanished thanks to these amazing Omega-3s! It's crazy what can happen when you put the right nutrients in your body. Also, I started a new workout program that has taken me on a journey of total body workouts five days a week. It's been amazing. I feel like I'm 24....!

What doesn't feel so good though is my back, hips, and knees. I've had to modify a lot of my workouts to eliminate much of the bending and jumping. It just kills my knees. My back; well, there isn't really anything I can do that helps that. The constant pain is just something I've learned to live with. But today it was just too much so I decided to go to the chiropractor. I love going to have adjustments for several reasons: 1) It really helps with the pain 2) I like the noise that bones make when they pop 3) My chiropractor is SO cool. Sadly though, because I had let so much time pass between my adjustments (over a year) the Doc had a lot of work to do and now I'm really sore. I'll go back next week for a follow up and hopefully some of my pain will begin to go away.

I've always been really interested in health and wellness so as I proceed with my daily blogging I will probably be spending a lot of time talking about those two topics. When a person takes charge of their health I think that something so amazing happens inside of them and I love to witness it. I love watching people develop into characters that work hard, struggle, and sweat to physically accomplish something that they never thought they could. I'm toying with the idea of becoming a personal trainer. I need to do some research on it but I think I would really enjoy it.

What do you enjoy helping people accomplish? 

Reformatting (Life and the Blog)

As always, I'm evaluating and reevaluating my quality of life. I find it humbling and extremely healthy to continuously search for ways to grow, deepen, and make life more meaningful.

I recently graduated from college and with that came a change in the pace of my life. Now, four months after accepting that diploma I'm beginning to figure out what it is like to not live life a million miles a minute and slowly but surely I'm beginning to accept that lifestyle. I am also realizing that my creativity, as important as it is to my spirituality and health, has dwindled down to a nearly nonexistent state now that I am not in the midst of artistic projects.

As I process the way my life currently is versus how I desire it to be many emotions flood my heart and many ideas consume my mind. With that, I will begin the tedious process of reformatting many areas of my life. It will be a slow process, as I want these changes to be permanent and not just emotion-filled and short lived.

Additionally, I will be reformatting my blog. I started this as a creative and intentional outlet to live my life differently. I struggled, from day one, on what I really wanted this to be used for; social justice, my adventures, likes dislikes, etc. I know now, at least for the time being, that I need this blog to be about me. I'll be challenging myself to post five days a week. Most of my posts will be about daily experiences like my creative projects, Rose, my nutritional endeavors, work, adventures, and anything else I may feel like sharing that day. My hope is that through my journey you'll be inspired to live differently and to challenge yourself in new and creative ways.

What do you do to challenge yourself on a daily basis?