Hoo Goes There?!

Happiness - I Have It!

2012-02-14T14:42:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day All!

It has been a great one for me this year. My husband and I went out for dinner at the Olive Garden last night followed by Star Wars in 3D. We had a great time!! Today I came home to a box of chocolates and the biggest Toblerone bar ever waiting for me on the bed! I think somebody loves me! ;);)

I've been thinking a lot this Valentine's week about happiness. In the last few months, job stress and the rigors of daily life have gotten me down......and Jason too. But lately it seems we have been focusing more on the things that have always made us happy and letting go of the craziness and giving that to God. And it shows! Right now, today, I am happier than I have ever been in my life. And I would love to share some of the things that make me happy. Now.....let's not confuse happiness with joy. My joy comes from the Lord and from Him alone. I can be as unhappy as ever in my earthly life, but I will always be filled with joy in my Savior. What I am talking about today is happiness - the kind we have here on earth.

In honor of cupid's day, here are some of the simple and amazing things that make me happy:

**My husband. The love of my life. My soul mate for 15 years and counting. We have a relationship that many do not understand. We are best friends. There is rarely a time when either of us would rather be doing something or spending time with anyone else. We have carpooled to work together, worked at the same place, and come home everyday to each other. We have had several people tell us that they would have killed each other by now. Not us. He is my safe place, and I love him so much! That makes me SO happy!

**The simple things. My idea of a perfect evening is spending time curled up on the bed in our room catching up on the tv shows we have recorded, watching hockey or a movie or reading our books. Great conversations are always sparked and I feel so at ease. I don't need fancy. Don't even want it. Give me a night at home over a fancy dinner and dancing any day.

**Radcliffe. Yes, I know some think I'm looney for this one, but he's got a special place in my heart. He is such a great listener! ;) And always has a snuggle when I need one. (If you don't know who Radcliffe is, click his link on the right hand side of my blog).

**My Parents. I have great parents who brought me up in a home where Jesus was the center, who would drop everything anytime I was in need and who continue to be there now that I'm an adult. And the best part? Now that I am grown they are not only my parents but my friends. People I genuinely enjoy hanging out with. Not everyone can say that about their folks, huh?! ;)

**My Sister. Honestly, I don't know what I would do without the support and friendship of my little sister. We've been through some crazy rollercoasters together and whenever one of us needs it, they other has their back. Aside from my husband, she is my best friend and my confidant. We tell each other everything! :) And, of course, along with her comes my brother-in-law Peter who I love and respect so much. I love watching what incredible parents they are to their boys.

**The Boys. About the above-mentioned boys...............so precious! Brady (6), Logan (4) and Marshall (2). I can still clearly remember the moment each of them came into this world and feel so honored to be such a big part of their lives. Sometimes when I am having a down day, all I need to do is take a peek at my photo album and see their smiling faces and that does it! :) I love being an auntie!

**Family. I would be remiss not to mention my incredible grandparents, my cousin Katie who is also one of my closest friends and all of my other cousins, aunts and uncles who are such a big part of my life.

**My Church. We have a great church family. A pastor who preaches the truth without fear or compromise and a wonderful group of people praying for each other, serving each other and showing the community what God looks like.

There are so many other things I could mention if I had the time. Do you see a theme here? I do. It's family. I am happiest when I am with my family. Whether it is my family of 3 at home every day (remember Radcliffe?! ;) ) or my extended family, that is when I feel the most content and the most happy. It's not the things I have or the places I've been or will go, it's the people who are there along the way.

What is it that makes you happy today?

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Laura

Stand Up!

2012-02-08T13:36:00.000-08:00

This week the Susan G. Komen Foundation made a decision to defund Planned Parenthood. Then, less than 24 hours later amid controversy, they reversed that decision. This irked me more than I thought it would and has gotten me to thinking. It's not so much the fact that they gave money to PP that made me angry, although I do not support PP and prefer not to support those who do. What really makes me angry is that they were afraid to take a stand because they got some push back from the public. What does that say about the state of things in our world?! If someone doesn't like what you believe in, then shrink back from the pressure and confrontation and jump on board the "popular" side. Ugh.

I've been taking stock of the way I live my own life, and I realize that sometimes I do the same thing. I find myself backing off of an argument occasionally because I don't want to sound like one of those "ignorant, intolerant" folks everyone is always talking about. And it makes me sick to see that I do that sometimes. No more. I hear people talk about how Jesus was all about love and that we need to show love to the world. You bet! Absolutely we need to show love to the world. But that does NOT mean that we should compromise our beliefs. People mistakenly use words like love, tolerance and ignorance all the time. Sometimes a parent deals harshly with their child because they love them and want to make sure they don't stray down the wrong path. Just because the child might be sad because of what the parent says, it doesn't mean it isn't love. So it is with talking about sin. If I'm telling someone that I believe they are sinning because they are living a homosexual lifestyle or committing adultery or any other number of sins, it doesn't mean I don't love them - it means the opposite. It means that I love them so much that I want to make sure they come to know Jesus and break free of their sin.

Tolerance is a really misused word. A couple of years ago, Jason and I heard a man speaking at the state fair outside a conservative radio station and he said it pretty well. He was talking to a man on the street who had confronted him about Christians being intolerant. What he said was that in order to tolerate someone, you have to disagree with them on something. Otherwise, where would the need for tolerance be? You don't have to "tolerate" something you agree with. So when someone tells you that you are "intolerant" because you believe homosexuality is a sin, they are wrong. When you would become "intolerant" would be if you chose to refuse to speak to that person or if we started rallying for all gay people to be shipped to an island somewhere. That would be intolerance. And...have you noticed that in today's society everyone is to be tolerated EXCEPT Christians?

Jesus told us we would be persecuted for His names sake. If we are not facing any confrontation, then we are probably not being bold enough in living for Him. In today's climate, with all of the political fighting (especially in an election year), all of the call for love and political correctness regardless of your true beliefs and the sin that is becoming rampant and accepted we need to really buckle down and grow our backbones nice and strong.

It's time to take a stand for the things of the Bible. This world is coming rapidly to an end. The time of Christ's return is very, very near. I know for sure that when He comes back I want Him to find me standing on a mountaintop shouting the truth, even if I'm standing on that mountaintop alone.

Stand up for what you believe in. Noone else will do it for you.

Laura

Thoughts on a Tuesday

2012-02-07T16:58:00.000-08:00

So...I have been an absent blogger this week. Life has been crazy busy and there just aren't enough hours in the day. But tonight I have a quiet evening to myself to get caught up on some things and this was on my list. So to follow in the example of my sister's blog, here are the random things I've been thinking about this past week:

**Water pipes can be very frustrating. Especially in a mobile home where they are so easily exposed to the elements. I'm thankful all is well now after a weekend with no running water.

**This winter has been INSANE! We have had 17 days in the 40s or 50s since December! We should be enjoying this and remembering what it is usually like.

**I'm so angry at the CA supreme court for declaring Prop 8 unconstitutional. This is a ban on gay marriage that was voted by the people ----wait...aren't the people supposed to have a say in this country?------and has now been basically nullified by a court who is seizing power they should not have.

**Super disappointed in the Susan G. Komen Foundation. They finally take a great stand against abortion and Planned Parenthood only to renig at the first sign of controversy. Gutless.

**I am praying for MckMama and her family today (www.mckmama.com). Her husband has walked out on the family recently, they lost their home and yesterday she was in a pretty serious car accident. Please pray for her, her 5 children and everything going on in their lives. Pray for healing for her and for a change of heart for her husband.

**I am thankful today that despite all of the crazy in the world, GOD IS IN CONTROL!!!

**I am obsessed with Lost. Jason and I watched the first season when it was on originally, but then quit. Now we are Netflix-ing (word?) the show and are partway through Season 3.....loving it!

Well that's just a few of the things on my mind this week. I am hoping to get back to normal and slow things down a bit soon. This week is pretty clear. We are going to the Mpls camping show on Friday or Saturday night and I'm trying a new breakfast lasagna recipie. Otherwise, life should be calm and uneventful. Praying it stays that way!

Happy Tuesday!

Laura

Monday Confessions - Letting Go

2012-01-30T10:53:00.000-08:00

Happy Monday All!

It's been a great one so far for me. I got up early - well, 8:30 is pretty early for me on my day off (heehee) - and got started right away on cleaning my bathroom. Scrubbed everything and cleaned the floors, walls - the whole works! Even got my awesome pumpkin scented plug in going so the room smells great! Then I got my closet organized. It's nowhere near perfect, but at least I can see everything now and get to my clothes. I even managed to get a few things put together for Jason to put out in the shed when he gets home to get them out of the way. I know that doesn't sound like much, but for me it's a huge deal.

This past week I've been suffering from something. I wish I knew what. I've been overly emotional and so easily frustrated and angered that I felt like a totally different person. I was originally thinking it might be some form of seasonal depression, but I believe now that I've figured it out and it's much simpler than that. See, one of my biggest issues is the inability to be content with things not "just so". The particular area that has been nagging at me lately is my home. For those who don't know, we are living in a mobile home with my mother-in-law. It's been great, and we are so blessed to be living here. We right now have the majority of our things in our bedroom and bathroom so the rest of the house can be shared space. Because of this, we have very little space to put a lot of things. We have solved this by putting a lot in storage and in our shed, but it still isn't ideal. I've been letting this really eat at me lately. When I try to get things organized, it always feels cluttered no matter what.

Today I took a different look at things. I realized that we have a roof over our heads and are lucky enough to be close to family, have all that we need to not only survive but to be comfortable, and that should be enough. So today I pulled out the duster, vacuum and other cleaning supplies. I got everything cleaned up, sorted my closet and everything else I mentioned above and guess what? The place looks fine - imperfections and all! So I'm taking a deep breath and asking the Lord to help me be content with what I have. And to LET GO of trying to make things perfect. Sometimes "good enough" is all we need.

I'm feeling great now and getting ready to sit down and catch up on the series Lost. Relax, maybe do some reading and just be happy. It's a new week and I have high hopes for what is in store.

Have a Great Day!

Laura

Friday Drive-By

2012-01-27T13:22:00.000-08:00

This post will be super-quick since I don't have much time, but I wanted to check in quick and had something fun to share.

Every day on my way home, I drive by a printer place (sort of like Kinkos) and they have great sayings on their sign. Last week it was "The second mouse gets the cheese." I had to think about that one for awhile, but laughed out loud when I realized what it meant. Poor first mouse. :(
Today it was changed and now it says "Fewer the facts, stronger the opinion." Isn't that the truth?! Seems like the less people actually know about something, the louder they scream about it. And so often people don't even want to know the facts because it might prove them wrong about something they so want to be right about. :)

The other funny thing from my day today was an odd proposal. I tried a new flavor of SoBe water called strawberry daquiri. It was a different kind of bottle than the ones I normally get and when I opened it up the cap says "Marry Me?" Hmmm...never been proposed to by a bottle of water before. Plus it got me thinking about how awkward that could be. Say a boyfriend buys that bottle and gives it to his girlfriend. She says "Yes!!!" and he says "Huh?!" Crazy.

Anyway, that was my fun for the day. Hoping to have a nice calm weekend after work on Saturday and enjoy the NHL All Star game and skills competition Saturday night and Sunday. Monday will be back to house cleaning, laundry and all that good stuff.

Have a great weekend!

Laura

Monday Confessions - A Little Late

2012-01-24T14:08:00.000-08:00

Well, I'm a little late since it's now Tuesday, but we had a busy weekend! My sister and her hubby moved into a new place so there was a lot of watching munchkins, helping move boxes and helping organize. It was really fun for Jason and I to get to spend time with the nephews and with my folks and on Monday I spent the day with Molly and the family helping to unpack some boxes and that was fun too! So it was a good kind of busy. :)

Today it was back to work and we had a full 8 hour day for the first time in quite awhile. I'm thankful for the money, but it was tough getting used to the full schedule again and this is only day one. Ha! I came home with grandiose plans of doing loads of laundry and deep cleaning the bedroom and bathroom but when I actually started I lost my luster. My wonderful hubby told me to take it easy, so that's the plan! He really is awesome!!!! :D I'm leaving the deep-cleaning until my day off Monday and just doing one light laundry load. Other than that I'm going to spend the evening catching up on some tv and perusing some fun cookbooks I borrowed from Molly for some new recipies to try. Jason has bowling so I'm on my own tonight.

Anyway, now that I've bored you with the details of my life.................my confession this week: Frustration has overtaken me! You may have read my vent on Friday and let me tell ya....I'm still ranting away! For some reason lately things have really been getting on my nerves and the thing that is still sticking with me today is the inability of so many people to simply state things the way they are. To be who they are regardless of who it might offend and to be open and honest about everything. I certainly don't think we should set out to deliberately hurt or offend someone, but if the truth offends then there is nothing you can do about that. It's certainly better to offend than to be wishy-washy....at least in my opinion. My fall-back example for this has always been this: If I ask you if you like my new haircut, I want you to say what you really think. If you don't like it, tell me. Don't worry about hurting my feelings......if I didn't want to know what you thought I wouldn't ask. To me, it is far more hurtful to go home and look in the mirror and see that I look hideous but that my "friend" said I looked great. Does that make any sense? I prefer honestly even when it's uncomfortable. Otherwise I feel like people are fake and that makes it hard to ever hear anything they say as genuine. Why the sudden onset of craziness about this? Well, I think it's partly due to the presidential election season coming up and all of the grand-standing we see associated with that, but yesterday and today two more examples came up. Yesterday we read a story of Tim Thomas, the goaltender for the Boston Bruins who opted not to attend the White House for the celebratory meeting with the president (they won the Stanley Cup). He chose not to attend because, as an American citizen, he feels like the government is not doing their job and did not want to be supportive of them right now. That is the right of every citizen yet he is being criticized. I'm sorry, but is getting a pat on the back from the president for winning a hockey game HONESTLY more important than standing up for your beliefs? Sheesh! And then today an actress who is a homosexual is being chastised because she stated that she believes being gay is a choice that she is making. She says she feels like for some it is not a choice but for her it is. Apparently that opinion is not allowed because the gay community is going nuts! I say a hearty AMEN to both of these people for standing up for what they believe in. I may not agree necessarily with everything they said, but at least I can respect them for making a stand. Which is more than I can say for most people these days.

Okay, off my soap box now. ;) Sorry for being a little nasty and crabby these days.......it's just something that has really been eating at me. I'm trying to spin it for a more positive outcome by applying this principle of open and honest to my life with regards to my faith. I want to tell people about Christ and not worry that they will look at me funny or be offended. Because it is just too important to worry about that. And the Bible tells us that people will be offended by Christ, but that we are to go into the world and tell them about Him just the same.

Today I'm learning to stand for what I believe in. I will speak my mind and if you are offended, I am sorry but I cannot be anything other than who I am. I will not compromise my beliefs for the sake of comfort or convenience.

Hmmmm...............time to think of a fun topic now don't you think?! Maybe puppies or kittens. ;)
Have a great Tuesday!

Laura

Friday Rant

2012-01-20T15:26:00.000-08:00

Look out! I'm getting ready to rant today!
I'm not really as angry as the face, just thought it was too fun! :)

So I thought I'd take a minute and just rant a little about some of the things that have been driving me crazy this week......because sometimes you just need to vent!

1. Frozen Pipes--With the below zero temps this past couple of days, we managed to freeze the pipes in our bathroom again Wednesday night. We had someone come out and thaw them with a heater under the house (cost $75!!) and now to make sure it doesn't happen again we have to leave all of the bathroom cupboard doors open, close the vent to force the hot air down and crank the heat, plus run the water all through the night to keep things flowing. Luckily we only have to do this when it gets below zero. In the spring we will get the insulation replaced to hopefully solve the problem for good.

2. Paul Deen talk--This one is bad.........dangerous for me to even get started so I'll keep it brief. Paula Deen announced recently that she was diagnosed with diabetes. Apparently she has known for a couple of years and waited until she had an endorsement with a drug company before announcing it. The backlash has been insane! She has a cooking show that includes a lot of sugar and butter-rich items and people want her to stop the show right now. One angry TV Network star, Anthony Bourdain even called her the "most dangerous person in America." Really?! Move over drug dealers, gang bangers, rapists and murderers...Paula Deen is the real dangerous one. Jeepers! Her disease is her business. She can tell people when she wants how she wants and it is noone's concern but hers. I'm tired of hearing people say that because she cooks that way she had an "obligation" to tell about her diabetes. Give me a break. Did you ever hear her say on her show that the way she eats is healthy? Nope. So she isn't misleading anyone. Also......and this is what really irks me......has Paula Deen ever jumped out of the television and force-fed anyone her food? Again, nope. YOU are responsible for what you eat, not a television personality. If you don't like her show, turn it off.

3. There seem to be a bombardment of tweets, fb posts and blogs lately about the "No H8" campaign. I don't know a lot about it, but I do know that it is in support of gay rights. Now regardless of how I feel about homosexuality, I'm not against the 'no hate' message at all, I'm completely for it. Noone deserves to be hated or treated poorly because of their sexual orientation or anything else. What frustrates me is that this seems to be the only issue people are speaking out about regarding hate lately. At least the pop culture folks and the mainstream media. Every day in nations around the world, including right here in America, Christians fear for their lives and deal with hate and vitriol because of their beliefs but very few even acknowledge that. Hate is hate. It should be spoken out against regardless of who it is directed at.

4. The self-righteous couple who does the morning show on MyTalk. I love the station but am done with this show. They are very "holier than thou" about things lately and it's driving me nuts. They think that stores who have sales on MLK day are being offensive to his memory. They think that John Ratzenburger was rude because he thought that in addition to being taught to treat poor people with kindness, Sesame Street should also teach about common trades (such as construction) that poor people can learn so they can eventually support themselves. Those are the two things from this week, but lately it's been bad. So I'll be turning them off. :) **See how easy that is? I don't like them, so I won't listen. Take a hint Paula Deen critics. HeeHee.

5. Last but not least is the feeling that I often have, as do many others I'm sure, that we should be politically correct all the time and say what others want to hear rather than be ourselves. I always try to present my side with as much respect as possible for those who disagree, but I will not apologize for speaking what I believe to be the truth. We need to be bold and stand strong for the things that are true...........Christ commands it and it is the only way to live.

Okay, so there are so many more but I will leave it at this for now. It's fun to vent once in awhile, huh?! What are the things that are driving you crazy lately?! I'd love to hear.

Laura

Is Religion a Bad Thing?

2012-01-18T12:26:00.000-08:00

So....I received an e-mail yesterday from a high school friend that has been forwarded from several different people during the course of the last week. Some of you may have seen this, as I believe it was floating around Facebook and the blog world as well. I normally don't pay a lot of attention to forwards unless there are cute animal pictures in them or fun little stories, but this one really got my attention. It was simply titled "Why I Hate Religion but Love Jesus." I read it and agreed with some of what was said and disagreed with some, but overall it was nothing earth-shattering, just interesting.

As my day progressed, I started really thinking about just the title of the article. I've heard many, many people in my life talk about how they hate religion. They hate the rules and what they perceive to be judgment and condescension coming from so-called "Christians" they encounter. This view is typically coming from unbelievers, but occasionally from believers as well. The more I thought about it, the more I realized how dangerous this idea could really be. So I decided to put the two sides separate and give you some of my thoughts on the subject. Hope you find it interesting, I sure did as I was researching!

I want to start with the "Love Jesus" part, because that one is easier. Jesus makes it clear that love is important.
In John 13:34-35 He says,
³⁴ “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. ³⁵ By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
1 Corinthians 13:13 says,
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

These are just two of my favorite examples from scripture, but if you look you will find that the word love is mentioned something like 500-600 times. Clearly it was Jesus plan for us to love one another and to love Him. When we see people sinning we need to remember that Christ died for all of them, and He loves them all as much as He loves me...also a sinner. I firmly believe that the way to bring the unbelievers to Christ is to shower them with His love. One trap we fall into often as Christians is to focus far too much on what someone is doing rather than where their heart lies. An example would be someone who is engaging in sexual immorality of some form (homosexuality, pre-marital sex, etc.). We want so badly to "fix" them that we worry first about what they have to stop doing rather than what needs to be done. The truth of the matter is that you do not need to stop engaging in sexual immorality (or any other sin for that matter) to be saved - finish reading before you scream ;). The ONLY requirement of salvation is to believe that Christ died for our sins, that He loves us and to repent and accept His forgiveness. Obviously this will mean the desire to change those behaviors, but it doesn't have to mean that you will go to hell if you don't immediately stop. On the other side, stopping the behavior alone will NOT get you into heaven either. We get those so mixed up. What we need to be doing is reaching people first, then helping them grow in their faith so they can start making the right choices and knowing right from wrong. And guess what? They will stumble every day just like we all do. I am well aware that "Thou Shalt Not Lie" is one of the Ten Commandments. Does that mean that I have never told a lie since I was saved? Of course not. I'm human, and I'm a sinner. Being saved simply means that I realize that this behavior is wrong and I immediately come to God and repent and He forgives me. It's a work in progress that won't be completed until I'm in heaven.

Sounds great, right?! Why do we even need to discuss the other part, you say? Well, even as I type the above paragraph, I see a problem. There are a lot of Christians out there who apply this in the wrong way - in my humble opinion. You see, I believe that when we are dealing with unbelievers or new believers, we need to focus much more on the relationship than the "religion" part. But there's a whole new emphasis that gets added when we become seasoned believers. While Jesus is clear on His stance on love, the Bible is also abundantly clear when discussing sin, especially amongst the believer. There's a place in scripture that has troubled me in the past, but that I think is applicable here to this argument.
1 Corinthians 5:11 says:
"But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one."
This has always been a tough one for me because I have had family and friends who were living this way, claiming to be saved but living in the ways of the world. But it seems clear to me that if someone is a believer, they are not to be taking part in any of these things. There is also Matthew 5:17 which gives us Jesus' word on the law (those pesky "rules" that people speak of so often with religion):
"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them."
So clearly Jesus is telling us that those "rules" are still pertinent to us today. The only thing that has changed is that instead of paying the price for the sins ourselves, Jesus paid that price for us. It certainly does not mean that we can choose which ones we want to follow and which ones we do not.

I feel like I might have been a little jumbled in my thinking, so I hope I don't sound confusing. To really simplify it, this is my thought: When approaching an unbeliever, we need to focus on sharing with them the love of Christ and getting the to the point of belief and acceptance. That has to come first. Once that has happened, then their soul is safe and we can focus on working on Christian living. That is when we need to go back to those "rules" that we all dislike so much and realize that there is a specific way in which we are to live. We, as followers of Christ, are on this earth as His ambassadors. We cannot successfully bring others into the fold if we are not living life the way He demands. We will come across as hypocrites and we are also in danger of being "lukewarm" and being "spit out" if we do not attempt to live fully for Him.

Bottom line for me is that I believe that there is room for both the relationship and the religion. They are both biblical and both matter, as long as we are seeing them for what they truly are. The relationship is what we need to be saved, the religion is what we need to live our lives wholly for Him and to guide us to make the right choices so we can hear the words..."Well done, good and faithful servant" someday.

I hope this was informative and I more than welcome any thoughts you have on this topic. It's a toughie - something I have struggled with my whole life and was reminded of again by this article. God never told us it would be easy. In fact, He said the exact opposite:
John 16:32-34
³³These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world."

Life is hard, but He has overcome. Praise God!

Have a great Wednesday! I'll be back later this week to talk about something else that's been annoying me lately.....................think Paula Deen and "live and let live". :)

Laura

Monday Confessions

2012-01-16T08:11:00.000-08:00

Back again. Seriously, doesn't it feel like the Mondays just keep on piling up?! Slow down already!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :) Okay, I feel better.

Today's confession is a little boring, but it is a success, so I'm happy about that. This was my first full week back at work since before the holidays and I was sure it was going to be tough, tough, tough. Now that it's over I can honestly say it went really well. We had shorter days, so that helped (although my pocketbook feels otherwise), and I got myself into a pretty good routine at work. I've been bringing oatmeal for breakfast with a little pineapple to throw in and I found a nice, quiet spot in the breakroom to get some reading done. Lunch has been sandwiches and crackers with a yogurt or pudding thrown in and I have a fun, small group of ladies that I've been eating with and we have a fun lunchbreak. To get me through the in-between, thank goodness for MyTalk 107.1 on the radio! It's a fun, silly pop culture radio station. Nothing of substance, just fluff and celebrity/tv news and gossip, but it sure does make the time fly.

Also, my No S plan is taking shape. I had a few speed bumps this week for sure, but it's all starting to come together. I've made the decision to make Sunday and Monday my "s" days each week since I'm home the bulk of those days, but I will be sort of doing that on a week-by-week basis. For example...this coming Saturday is a get-together with family, so if I am unable to sustain my "no s" status during that party, then Monday will have to be off-limits. I feel like this strategy is going to work well. I still need to work on the exercise part, but I'll get there.

As for today? I'm doing a "sick day". No, I'm not really sick, thank goodness. But every now and then I like to shower, put on fresh jammies and then stay basically in bed (or at least in my bedroom) all day and play video games, watch tv and catch up on reading. No work involved, just relaxation and fun. :)

Hope you all enjoy your week!

Laura

Happy Hump Day!

2012-01-11T12:15:00.000-08:00

It's Wednesday.....hump day for most. For me, hump day actually falls on Thursday since I work T-S but....whatever. :D It's been a pretty good week so far. Monday I was able to get all caught up on my study of 2 Chronicles and most of my reading. I tend to read at least 3 or 4 books at a time, so that can get a bit crazy but I really enjoy the variety. I chose another recipie to make for this week (Chicken Wild Rice Soup) and have been doing pretty well with the No S diet so far this week. I still haven't decided on a form of exercise to incorporate, but there's time for that.

After many short work days over the holidays, I was actually hoping for some longer days this week to pad the poor sad checking account, but alas not to be. I haven't worked an 8 hour day in so long I can hardly remember. I hesitate to complain, because I really enjoy getting off early and having the afternoons to myself, but it would be nice to make a little more money. I'm sure things will pick up shortly. For now, I'm enjoying having a couple of hours each afternoon to get things done around the house and just to relax a bit.

Speaking of finances......God has been nudging me for awhile in this area and He finally decided to bash me over the head I think. Well, metaphorically speaking..HeeHee. Not only in the area of spending, but also in the area of living more simply and enjoying what we already have. One example is my afternoon yesterday. I bought a PS3 game called Heavy Rain and was so excited to try it out. We have several games for the PS3, computer, DS, Wii....you get the picture. But I just HAD to have this one. Well, after spending 2 hours updating the PS3, another hour installing the game and then playing through about 45 minutes worth, it stalled on me. Nothing I did would fix it. This is the 2nd game we have had this issue with lately. So I gave up and decided Jason can take it back to the store for me and get a refund. This may seem like a small example, but I was beyond frustrated during the whole thing last night and I could really hear God speaking to me. I have so many games, dvds, books and everything else here at home........why did I need a new one? I know it could simply be a coincidence, but I'm choosing to believe that God is reminding me that saving is more important and perhaps I should enjoy what I have rather than purchase more right now.

In that spirit, I'm getting ready to spend my afternoon catching up on my new guilty pleasure show Teen Mom, reading a new book called "Matthew's Story" - the gospel of Matthew in novel form, and getting dinner ready. None of which involve any new spending. :)

Life is really good right now and I'm soaking up every minute of it! Jason and I are going to the grocery store tonight and I'm excited! Geek, right?! I don't know what it is, but I LOVE going to the grocery store. And I'm loaded up with a list of ingredients for my soup and a ton of coupons so it will be a really fun trip!!!!!

Hope you are all having a really great Wednesday and enjoy the rest of your week!

Laura

Monday Confessions

2012-01-09T09:45:00.000-08:00

Ufta! It's been a busy, busy week. Lots of things going on and a couple of days unfunctional due to illness. But here I am, starting a fresh new week and getting ready to once again confess to you all. I've designated Mondays as "Confession Mondays", meaning I will come here and confess something that happened in my life this past week. Might be successes, failures or something really silly..you just never know.

Today I'm hanging my head a bit as I confess a big, huge failure. For those of you who have been following my blog for awhile now, you know that I have been struggling with my weight most of my life and that I had a great plan in place during my unemployment last January to get jump-started on losing. I'm here today to report that that plan was a major FAIL. Today I stepped on the scale and I am 29 pounds lighter than my heaviest weight. Which means I have put back on at least 7 of the pounds that I had lost earlier in 2011. But you know what would be an even bigger failure than putting these pounds back on? Allowing myself to wallow and continue to fail!

So...........I'm starting again today fresh. I am still sticking to my "No S" plan that has worked well for me in the past and is so simple. My S days will be Saturday and Sunday, my birthday and any major holidays (Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, etc.). I still need to figure out what I want to do as far as some exercise, but baby steps.

One thing that has changed this year that I think is going to really help me out is that I'm learning how to cook. My sister has been trying out all kinds of great new receipies and sharing them with me, along with some of her older stand-bys (like the world's best chow mein!) and I'm getting the hang of them. Some of them are super healthy recipies and some are more delicious than healthy (Mmmm....spaghetti pie) but all of them are homemade using real ingredients and so much healthier than Pizza Hut or McDs which have become too common around here!!! I'm sitting down every Monday and going through all of my recipies to pick a new dish for the week. Right now I'm starting with one every week and I'm cooking on Fridays. I'd like to add one recipie each week as the months go by, so in February I'll be doing 2 a week, March 3 and so on until I have taken over the cooking. My mother-in-law will be thrilled too, as she won't have to cook as often! :):)

I believe that my weight is something I will struggle with as long as I live, but I also believe that if I can do it for the glory of God and not for my own appearance or feeling, I will see much more success.

One more confession for today is a happy one - a success! Over the past couple of weeks I have been slowly chipping away at the negative influences in my life - people, places and things - and I'm feeling so much more positive already! I'm spending more time in God's Word and focusing more on the truly important things in life. It's amazing what a small change in attitude can accomplish! Last week I wasn't even sure I could drag myself out of bed to go to work and face the monotony of life. Today, I'm actually looking forward to a new week. The most amazing part of that is that this will be my first full work week in quite awhile with the holidays and everything, so I should be bummed but nope - I'm looking forward to getting back into our routine.

Life is very, very good right now. God is blessing me in ways beyond my imagination!

Happy Monday!

Laura

Monday Confessions

2012-01-02T13:10:00.000-08:00

Happy 2012 Everyone!!! As part of the list of things I would like to do this new year, I came up with an idea for an every-Monday blog post. I'm going to be doing a sort-of "confessional". It might be successes, failures or just some silly, crazy things I've done recently. I'm really looking forward to it.

So, to start things out today I would like to talk about my attempt at starting to organize the house and what I learned about myself already through the start of the process. Today my big plan was to start really sorting, cleaning and organizing our bathroom and bedroom. Because we share a house with my mother-in-law, we have almost all of our stuff in this end of the house and it makes it kind of tight sometimes. We make it work, but I was hoping to get things sorted through and make it a little easier to find things. I got the bathroom done 100% and am pretty happy about that. Then I started on the book/dvd shelf in the corner of the room and everything fell apart. The task seemed so overwhelming and I didn't know where to put anything or where to even begin. I got myself so worked up over the idea that I managed to make myself ill. I have a temp and I can tell that I'm all stressed out. Honestly!

This is not news....it's just something that I am re-realizing about myself. Is re-realizing even a word? ;) I have two sides and neither is good on it's own. The first side tends to put things off, be lazy and prefer to overeat, watch tv and spend my time doing a whole lot of nothing. This side also complains like crazy about work or anything else that isn't strictly lazy fun. The other side is a planner. I get a project in my head and I plan so I have all of the necessary tools, the proper amount of time and I am ready to go. HOWEVER...as soon as one tiny thing happens that is not exactly how I planned it I lose my mind. I get myself so stressed that sometimes I think I am honestly on the verge of a nervous breakdown. It ruins my whole day and I usually end up sick by the time it's done. Or at the very least worn out. So I give up

See the problem? If I could only get these two sides to merge, I think I would find a healthy balance. So that is my one and only new years' resolution for 2012. To merge these two parts of myself to become a better more complete person. To realize that yes, things need to get done and yes, I do need to use my time wisely and not always be lazy. But also to realize that life will go on if things don't go exactly as planned and if I need to take a break I can. It's all very confusing right now for me, but I know I can do it. With the Lord's help, of course. :)

I was VERY blessed in 2011. And I believe that God has more blessings in store for 2012. So I'm going to put my whole trust in Him and ask that He will help me to become the person that I want to be this year. I'm pretty sure I already know where to start. Making time for my daily devotions and prayer and for my at-the-very-least weekly bible study will change my perspective on everything. And it will give me the balance that my life needs right now.

Here's to a fantastic 2012!!!

Laura

Craziness Before the Calm

2011-12-28T13:28:00.000-08:00

So, the Christmas season is officially over. It was a really great year for us this year. I was able to spend time with all of my family and feel so incredibly blessed by that. Of course, the downside to Christmas is the mess left afterwards. :) I have many gifts to put away, decorations to take down and a lot of re-organizing to do. My goal is to start January 2 and 3 as I am off work those two days. Going to really get down to the nitty gritty of cleaning and organizing. I'm actually really excited about it.

I'm also trying to think of some fun new ideas for blogging in the new year. I would really like to focus on it a little more and start talking about the things that really matter to me and that I really want to share with all of you.

That's all for now......so much to do......but I hope you all had a fantastic Christmas season and am looking forward to the new year as much as I am!

Laura

Monday Musings

2011-12-19T08:59:00.000-08:00

Happy Monday!

So often on Mondays I find myself with so many ideas in my head that I couldn't possibly blog them all. All of the things that I did/saw/heard over the weekend and the past week fill my mind and I can never decide which ones are great enough to share. So I think I'm going to start making my Monday blogs a mish-mash of things that have been on my mind lately. There might be some funny, some sad, some odd...you just never know. This could be a fun experiment!

***Why is it that when you find yourself first in a movie theater, pick your seat and relax, WITHOUT FAIL the next person to come in will sit directly behind or directly in front of you. Despite the fact that the entire theater is still empty???? This is a big pet peeve of mine.

***We have basically no snow this year. It's really bumming me out. If we could just get a nice, soft blanket for Christmas I would really appreciate it.

***"Stop and smell the roses". A phrase I've heard my whole life, but hasn't really sunk in until recently. I've been trying to apply that lately and the difference has been huge. Most things in life can wait. And sometimes they should, especially if it's a difference between being stressed out or being happy.

***Spending time with family is one of the most important things we can do. We don't do near enough of it. Life is so precious and I've been reminded lately of just how fleeting it is.

***There is no substitute for time in God's Word and in fellowship with Him. I try to fill that with other things and it just doesn't do it. Make the time each day for at least a moment. I promise it will make an incredible difference in your life.

***There is something so special about watching children in a church Christmas program. The kids at our church were dressed as shepherds, Mary and Joseph, sheep and angels. Logan was an angel. Watching them sing out praise to Jesus as they learn the Christmas story - precious!

***Work is a necessary evil. As much as I would love to be able to stay home or travel or just sit back and enjoy life, providing for my family is a part I must play. Seeing those around me who are struggling to find work and therefore, struggling to put food on their tables makes me grateful for a job. And when I go into it with the attitude that I am doing it for Him, not for my earthly bosses or co-workers, it's much, much easier.

***GOD IS SO GOOD!!!! He has blessed my family in ways I cannot even begin to fathom this year. Through all of the ups and downs, sad times and happy times, stresses and joys...He has been here the whole time and His presence has been felt. I am incredibly grateful today for my Savior!

***I'm finding myself sucked into the world of reality tv lately. We got hooked on American Idol last year as well as The Voice and I'm excited for both to be back this year. My sister got me hooked on Teen Mom 2 and now I can't wait to go back and watch the first one and 16 and Pregnant on Hulu Plus. And my pop culture radio station has me even wanting to check out Jersey Shore and the Real Housewives sagas. Yikes!!!!!

Well, those are just a few of the random thoughts on my mind today. This is really fun! :) In line with one of my musings up there about smelling roses, I am taking today off. Normally I spend Mondays getting caught up on housework or some other project, but today I'm going to sit back and read a couple of magazines. Might catch up on some tv, take a bath or even put my nose in a good book. Nice, and calm. Everyone needs these days once in awhile and the laundry and cleaning will still be there tomorrow and the next day and the day after that! :) Or, mostly likely I will get a bee in my bonnet and do a little cleaning today. ;) Shh.....don't tell!

Have a happy Monday everyone!!!

Laura

Finding Joy

2011-12-11T15:01:00.000-08:00

Habakkuk 3:17 &18 - "Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labor of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall no herd be in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation." (KJV)

Lately I've been thinking a lot about joy. Particularly because I haven't felt a lot of joy lately. I've been tired, sick and frustrated about everything from life, my health, my job to Christmas plans and all the stress that goes with that.....everything. While moping about all of these things, I recalled a conversation that I had with my cousin Scott at our family Thanksgiving last month. He was telling me about some of the poor children that he has worked with in other countries as well as here in our own and their families. How despite having very little in the way of material possessions, they have a joy that many of us do not experience. The reminder of that conversation brought me to the verse above from Habakkuk. Sometimes I think it's easier for those who have little or nothing. Those of us who have plenty forget that our TRUE joy comes from Christ and Christ alone. Not in the things we possess. Especially this time of year with Christmas gift giving and receiving.

As I watched people out and about on Black Friday it hit me that we really are a materialistic society. We have far more than we could ever need yet we always want more. But my intent today is not to talk about living more simply or about having less...that's another topic for another time. My intent is to remind us all that true joy can only be found in a relationship with Christ. It can't be found in money, possessions, health, or anything else the world provides.

I know that I have really struggled with this type of joy in my life. I find myself comparing what I have with what others have. I complain that my job isn't exactly what I want it to be. We talk about how we wish we had more money (as if that ever solved anything). But rarely, if ever do we talk about how spending more time in His Word and in fellowship with Him would provide us with the things we feel are missing. With that real, true joy.

So this Christmas, I am shifting my focus. I love picking out gifts for the people I love and I enjoy receiving gifts too! :) I love getting together with family and eating too many Christmas cookies and all of the other wonderful things that go along with the holiday season. But this year my focus is going to be on what I have that can never be taken from me unless I let it..............Joy, true Joy that comes from knowing Jesus Christ as my personal savior. There is nothing in this world that can satisfy the way He can. If I search for my joy anywhere else, I will not find it.

May the Joy of knowing Jesus Christ be with each of you this holiday season!

Laura

Holiday Goals

2011-12-06T16:56:00.000-08:00

Tis the season, and I'm thinking about some changes that I'd like to make in my life. For the past year I have been on a rollercoaster that seems to have come to a stop at the very bottom. I've lost my "go-get-em" attitude. So I'm gearing up now with a few simple goals to get back on the right track.

With Christmas coming life is simply too busy to add anything hardcore right now and stick to it. So I've come up with three small things to get started right away:

1. 30 minutes of exercise - on the Wii or outside - 3 days a week.
2. Cook one new recipe each week.
3. Get a routine in order for my work mornings and stick to it for 30 days - they say that forms a habit.

I'm starting out today so we'll see if I can keep up with just these 3 things at least until the end of the year. Wish me luck! :)

Laura

Soul Mates????

2011-11-28T09:19:00.000-08:00

The term "soul mate" has been on my mind a lot lately. What does it mean? Do I even believe in soul mates? The answer to the second question has always been 'no' for me. I never believed in soul mates. But now that I've been thinking about what exactly that term means, I may have changed my tune a bit. See, to most people I've come across, the term suggests that there is one perfect person out there for each of us and that if you don't find that person, you will never be truly happy with the person you do end up with. I don't like that description at all. I do believe that there is one perfect person out there for each of us. I believe that God created our perfect other-half and that if we are seeking His will in all things, we will find that person. However, the main difference for me is that I believe that soul mates can be made as well as found. I have seen people close to me find themselves with someone who seems to be anything but their soul mate, but rather than give up they have prayed and worked and created a relationship that has turned into the definition of soul mates. I wanted to put that clarification out there, because I would never want someone to read this and think that I was suggesting that you should leave your partner or spouse to find that "perfect" person out there somewhere else. That's the one trouble with blogging...things can get lost in translation sometimes. :)

With that all said, I have definitely found my soul mate. My husband of 14 years is the reason I believe they exist. I must admit, I am one of the lucky ones. I found mine on the first try and there has been little work required for us. God has blessed us greatly! How do I know we are soul mates? So many reasons, but here are a few:

-One blind date and 4 months of dating later we already knew for certain that we wanted to be together forever.
-Never once in 14 years of marriage have I questioned whether I am loved unconditionally.
-We don't quite finish each others' sentences, but it's rare that I don't know what he is thinking.
-Fighting is a rare occurrence.
-We enjoy all of the same things, from the important to the mundane.
-Our personalities are so similar and what differences there are compliment each other well.
-I can't imagine one moment of my life without him.

What really got me thinking about all of this was this past Thanksgiving week. Jason and his mom went up to Michigan to spend the holiday with family but I had to stay back because of my work schedule. I was absolutely miserable. While I did have a wonderful time with my family here on Thanksgiving Day and the night before with my sister and her boys, the time that I spent home by myself the rest of the week was awful. For one thing, I hate being alone in the house at night. I have a paranoid personality sometimes and it makes it tough for me to sleep and be alone at night. But the main thing? I missed my better half. More than I thought I would, honestly. And I now know that I don't ever want to spend another holiday or special occasion apart. Or any other day for that matter! :)

I have been told that I'm crazy by several people in my life. HeeHee. Many people have told me that if they had to spend as much time with their spouse as I do, they would end up divorced. How sad for them, I think. And maybe not, maybe that's how some people make it work...who am I to judge? But for me, there is noone I would rather spend my time with than my husband. And he feels the same way about me. I'm a lucky girl, huh?! :D

This holiday season I am so grateful for all of the gifts God has given me, but more than anything today I am thankful for my soul mate, the love of my life, my husband. I have something that is becoming increasingly rare in today's world and I plan to hold on for dear life until God takes us home.

Stay tuned............I have a lot of fun ideas for Christmas-themed posts and can't wait to share them!

Laura

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

2011-11-23T13:16:00.000-08:00

"Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever." Psalm 107:1

Tomorrow is the big day...Thanksgiving. People everywhere are preparing turkeys, stuffing, cranberries and all of the traditional fixings and getting ready to share a meal with family. This year is going to be different for me from any year since I've been married. For the first time I will be spending Thanksgiving away from my husband. With my work schedule it just wasn't possible for me to travel to Michigan with Jason and his mom, so they went ahead. I'm glad they went, they will have a really great time with our family in the U.P., but at the same time I'm sad. Anyone who knows Jason and I know that we are happiest when we are together. This is a really big deal for us to be apart for a holiday. I like that. I like that it isn't common-place for us to be apart the way it is for so many couples. And I came home today to a really sweet care package from Jason to get me through the weekend. :) He's pretty great!!! Since I'm on my own and since my poor mom has to work also, my dad and I will be heading to the Ginn family Thanksgiving at my aunt and uncle's home with our extended family. I'm really looking forward to hanging out with everyone!! And I'm getting my "fix" with my favorite little nephews and my sister tonight, since they will be with Peter's family come tomorrow. It should be a great day.

I am thankful for SO much this year. I was laid off from my job of 6 years in January and this past May finally found a new job that I love. I celebrated 14 years of marriage with the most amazing man in September. I have a great family. We attend a wonderful church with a pastor who preaches the truth. I've seen some pretty amazing changes in the lives of people around me who had been struggling. These are just a minor sampling of all of the blessings in my life this year. But most of all, I am thankful for my lord and savior, Jesus Christ. Without Him the rest would be meaningless.

This year, let's all take a moment to think of what we are grateful for and remember to thank the One who gave it all to us. Let's also think about those less fortunate than us. Those who don't have family, friends or a warm meal to eat. Let's put aside our worries, frustrations, complaints and fears and focus on all of the really wonderful things God has put in our lives that we can be thankful for.

Happy Thanksgiving All!!!

Laura

Ah, The Holiday Season

2011-11-17T12:13:00.000-08:00

Yes, it is that time of year. The leaves are almost all fallen from the trees, there is a golden-red hue everywhere you look and bags of leaves on the lawns. The air is crisp and getting colder by the day. We have even seen the faintest trace of a snowflake although no snow has landed yet. All of these things point to my favorite time of year - the holiday season!

Christmas is absolutely my favorite holiday of all time, but I do enjoy Thanksgiving too. This year will be a first for Jason and I...we will be spending Thanksgiving apart. Because of my new job I was unable to get the Friday following off, so Jason and his mom will be heading to Michigan to see family and I will be staying here. Luckily it's family to the rescue! :) Wednesday night, Molly and her brook of littl'uns will be staying the night to keep me company. Thursday I was invited to a Ginn Thanksgiving at my aunt and uncle's house with most of our extended family. I'm really looking forward to seeing everyone and it will be great to connect and enjoy a meal together. Friday and Saturday I work, so it will just be a couple of evenings on my own and I'm actually looking forward to that.

Christmas shopping as begun as well. We have already found some really great things and I love the hunt! One of these days I will have to take a Monday and head to the MOA and find some unique fun things to grab up. I just might even brave Black Friday, you never know! ;)

This season gets me thinking about all of the things I am thankful for. Too often they get forgotten in the hustle and bustle, so I want to reflect on those things right now. In the next few days leading up to Thanksgiving, I want to fill you in on some of the things I am grateful for.

Today, I am thankful for my salvation. It is the greatest gift anyone has ever given me and my entire existence is based on that amazing gift. Thank you, Jesus!

What are you thankful for?

Laura

Healthy Eating - Why is it so hard?

2011-11-08T13:48:00.000-08:00

Isn't that the question? Why is it SO hard to eat healthy? I've come up with a few thoughts on that subject myself. First of all, I just don't want to eat the healthy stuff because the other stuff tastes so much better! ;) Second, it is pretty expensive to eat healthy these days. Not great reasons, right? Well, I am really trying to get on track with healthier eating. My weight loss has stalled as of late and I think the thing to do is to focus on health rather than weight. One will inevitably lead to the other, after all.

What really got me thinking about health in particular is a radio program I have been listening to on MyTalk107.1 (my new favorite station) on Saturday mornings from 8-9am. It is basically a show with a nurse, a nutritionist and usually a guest speaker that is a doctor or some sort of nutrition expert. This past week, they talked about cholesterol and I learned a lot! I have always been told that there is "good" cholesterol (HDL) and "bad" cholesterol (LDL). Well, apparently it is nowhere near as simple as that. In fact, this program suggests that bad cholesterol is not really so bad. I learned that LDL cholesterol assists in protecting our nerves, building and repairing cells and damaged blood vessels and many other functions. And I learned that the main reason we end up with too much LDL cholesterol to the point where we are experiencing blockages is because we are eating too much processed foods and other crap that cause our liver to secrete more than necessary. The most stunning thing they discussed was the fact that the acceptable cholesterol level was 300 several years ago until the Mayo Clinic released new numbers of 150 to be healthy. Well.....those new numbers were released just one year after Lipitor and other drugs were put on the market to help lower cholesterol. Now, I'm not a conspiracy theorist but it sure does seem an unlikely coincidence doesn't it?

I still have a TON of research to do, but this was just the first thing that really got me thinking about all of this. One thing that everyone seems to be recommending is fish oil, so Jason and I are going to give that a try. CVS had 2-for-1 supplements so we'll see if we can keep up with that. I've heard that it's great for your skin and hair too so - yeah!!! :):) The information that I get from the radio program comes from www.weightandwellness.com if you are interested, by the way.

Anyway, my goal here is to find a way to eat healthier without sacrificing everything and going overboard in either direction. When talking to my husband about it and really thinking about all of the options out there I had a thought.............why not turn to the Bible? I mean, that is my source for all other answers in life, why not healthy eating? While I don't necessary see any verses telling me exactly what I should eat, I do definitely see instructions to keep my body healthy (1 Cor 6:19-20 tells me my body is the temple of the Holy Spirit). The "in" thing these days seems to be vegetarianism or veganism. I'm not fond of these things and here's why: First of all, I don't think you get the correct nutrition your body needs if your diet is not balanced. Second and most importantly goes back to the Bible. God gave us animals to eat. He created the animals that produce eggs, milk and meat and gave us the knowledge to prepare them. So you will never convince me that something God provided is going to cause me harm. How then do I reconcile this belief with the evidence out there supporting cutting these things out? I believe in moderation.

Less red meat is obviously a good thing as far as fat, cholesterol and sodium are concerned. However, red meat is also a great source of iron and other nutrients. Moderation. Sugar can be harmful in too large of servings, but not enough sugar can harm us as well. Moderation. Too much fat can lead to an unhealthy heart and high weight, but not enough fat can lead to our cells being unprotected. Moderation. See a theme here??

There is one thing that I am looking to greatly reduce in my diet and that is processed foods. You know what I'm talking about. The ones where you read the ingredients on the label and can only pronounce or recognize one or two? I'm in no way willing to give up everything because, let's face it....I have other things in my life that are important as well, such as being a good steward of my finances, spending time with God and my family and trusting in Him to care for me. However, I am going to be more conscience of what I am putting in my body. I'll shoot for cutting my processed foods in half and I'm betting my weight and my health will see an almost immediate difference.

I'll be listening to this radio program every Saturday and doing a lot more research into healthy options, and I hope to share them with you guys whenever I can. I'm always open to the ideas you guys have too! I may not always agree or choose to follow, but it's always great to be able to share these things.

My final thought on the subject today is this: I want to trust God to take care of me over everything else. I am going to try my best to get healthy and to be respectful of my body, but I am not going to get carried away thinking that I have the ultimate control when I know that rests in His hands. I also don't want to get too caught up in the internet and books and all of the so-called experts to the point where I put their advice over that of real experience in my own life and the guidance He will give me as I spend time praying about this.

Here's to a healthy new beginning!

Laura

Weekly Rant - Sports Peeves

2011-10-31T08:27:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday all! I thought I might try something new on my blog to spruce things up a bit. Every week (or as often as I remember - heehee) I will do a "weekly rant" on a topic that has a bee in my bonnett. It could be something serious or it could be something silly, just something that I really want to spout off a little about. ;) This week's rant topic? My pet peeves about sports. Obviously since I'm a HUGE hockey fan above all else, they will mostly relate to that sport but the others are included as well.

WARNING: These rants come from my early-morning Monday brain. I will not be held responsible for any insanity, silliness, rage or possible incoherent ranting that may result. ;)

Now, I first must acknowledge that I've only been an avid sports fan for about 9 or 10 years. Jason and I got our season tickets for the Minnesota Wild during the 2001-2002 season and that's when it really started for me. I've been addicted to hockey ever since. A couple of years after that I started getting into football too and now I watch almost every Vikings game and several others too. Baseball and basketball have yet to interest me, but you never know.

On to my pet peeves:

I think the one that would have to absolutely top my list of peeves regarding sports are announcers and/or commentators who either a)don't understand the basics of the sport, b)can't remember which player is which if their salary depended on it, and c) ask stupid questions like "Are you upset that you lost?". I have an especially hard time with women reporters on the ice after hockey or on the field after football. Notice they are almost all young, blond and pretty with little or no knowledge of the actual sport they are reporting on. Eye candy is not something that belongs in sports reporting. Even most of the men I have asked would rather watch their eye candy in the form of cheerleaders than wanna-be sports reporters. I know, I know, I'm probably going to get flak for being anti-woman. Jeepers. ;) And don't even get me started on the announcers. Honest to pete, the most dull, uninformed announcers I have ever heard in my life belong to the Minnesota Wild! We have never had good announcers for our hockey team. Jason and I have Center Ice on Comcast, so we get to listen to the announcers for all 30 teams and they all have better ones than we do. I find myself correcting them at least once or twice every game. Calling a penalty that has nothing to do with what the ref is actually calling or getting the name of the goal-scorer wrong. Eesh!!!!

Another big pet peeve of mine is when the fans blame the refs for everything. Don't get me wrong, sometimes the ref blow it big time and then I get as mad as anyone. But when I'm watching a game and I heard the same people boo the refs EVERY time they call a penalty, especially one that I just watched blatantly happen on the ice, it makes me crazy! I like to think that us Minnesotans are pretty intelligent when it comes to our hockey, but when the whole arena is booing over what was a good call, we look like dopes. Drives me nuts!!! And right in the same vein are people who blame the goaltender, kicker or QB, pitcher or whatever for a loss. These are team sports. For ever goal that the goaltender gives up or field goal that the kicker misses or interception thrown by the QB, the rest of the team has the opportunity to step up and erase those errors. Goal scoreres are rarely blamed for not scoring enough goals! Again, there are always exceptions. Sometimes those people are exactly at fault for a loss. Obviously in OT in hockey, if the goalie gives up a bad goal, the game is over. Or if that particular player is playing lazy or poorly for whatever reason. But again, some fans will tell you after every single game........"stupid refs lost it for us" "goaltender stunk" or whatever. Irks me!

Do I sound like a whiney brat yet? :):) I did warn you at the beginning that these rants won't always be pretty. They may not even always be coherent. HeeHee! I did have one more pet peeve that I wanted to rant about before I'm done for this week. I've been told recently by several people that the "appropriate" way to be a sports fan is to root for the teams in your own conference/division/league when your team is out of the playoffs. WHAT???????!!!!!!!!!! I think that is the biggest bunch of hooey I've ever heard. Especially since one of the people who told me this said "it's what good sports fans do." I'm sorry, but I'm a good hockey fan and I cry baloney!! Will I ever cheer for the Packers in the Superbowl if the Vikes don't make it? Not on your life! Will I ever root for the Vancouver Canucks or Colorado Avalanche to win the Stanley Cup? Not likely. Unless, of course my most -hated Montreal Canadiens were the other team. ;) I don't mind the Detroit Lions simply because I feel for their fans after several awful years, but aside from them I will not be rooting for division rivals in any sport simply because they are my "sports siblings". Eew! A little strong there, huh?! :) Sorry if any of you do choose to root this way. Obviously it's your choice. My peeve is not so much the people who choose to root for their division or conference rivals, it is the people who tell me that I'm less of a fan if I don't.

Whew! That was quite a rant. And a lot of fun, I might add. Any comments on your own pet peeves related to sports would be great! I love hearing from people who read my blog.

Have a Happy Monday and a Happy Halloween!!!

Laura

Learning to Simplify

2011-10-25T19:11:00.000-07:00

I am feeling very refreshed today. Jason and I just returned from a 4-day trip to Door County,WI. We stayed in the cutest little cottage and it was so much fun and such a great time to relax. You can read about it at Radcliffe's blog:

Radcliffe's Place

Or, you can check out my facebook page for more pics of the trip.

The main thing I came back from this trip with was the desire to simplify my life. I know I've blogged about this quite a bit lately, but it's just been on my mind so much lately. Now I'm not talking about the typical "live simple" movements out there that suggest minimalism or such things. I'm talking about stopping to smell a rose and slowing down the pace of life so I can enjoy it. I'm talking about getting rid of negative influences and focusing on positive. I'm talking about getting closer than ever to God and to my husband and enjoying ever second of the life He has given to us.

The first thing to go? Worries and plan. I'm an over-planner. Every day while I'm sitting at work I'm slowly working on a list of things to do when I get home. Even tiny things like checking my Facebook or blogging or getting clothes ready for work the next day get written down on a list. And if something happens to disrupt my grand plan, I fall apart a bit. I get very stressed out..headaches and the whole bit. It's totally not worth it. :(

The biggest stress in my life was my former job. Now that I enjoy my work and the people I work with, that stress is gone. So if I can let go of my planning and my worries that things aren't going just right, it will be a huge step.

During our whole trip, Jason and I kept talking about how much we loved small towns and how much we would love to live in one someday. I'm pretty sure that one day, probably after we retire and for sure after three precious little boys are grown, we will end up living in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It is so quiet and serene up there. There are not a lot of stores and conveniences, but there is Amazon.com and the internet and a little drive never hurt anyone. :) It's such a laid-back atmosphere. Noone is ever in a hurry. It just seems like a totally different world in a small town. In the meantime, we are going to soak up every moment of vacation time we can in those small towns and along the north shore - our other favorite place. :)

For today, I'm content living in Blaine, MN, working at Medtox and living a small, comfortable life with my husband and the rest of my family nearby. God has blessed me SO much! So I give over all of the complicated things to Him. I'm going to slow down, enjoy life and live each day as if it were my last. Because it just might be. And as excited as I am to see my Savior in Glory, in the here and now I want to enjoy the life He has for me here on earth.

Here's to simple.

Laura

Borrowed and So Much Fun!

2011-10-19T13:24:00.000-07:00

Hello all! Since I'm in a rush to get packing and get the house ready for our roadtrip this weekend, I thought I'd borrow (or really steal) an idea from my sister for a fun blog post. Click on the link below to see her original post. Hope you don't mind Molly! :) It's a fun post, maybe we can start a trend.

Molly's Blog

Here are a few of my favorite things:

Month: September
Season: Fall
Weather: Cooler but not cold. Maybe mid-60s.
Color: Green
Time of Day: Night
Holiday: Christmas
Dessert: Mmmm...I will have to steal Molly's chocolate cake!
Pizza: Pepperoni and Green Olives - Yep stealing this one too!
Bedtime: Between 9 and 11.
Wake time: 4:45 :( Except on Saturdays when it's 6!
Magazine: World
TV show: Friends
Outfit: Jeans and a hoodie or a hockey jersey.
Relaxation: Lately I've been loving a bath.
Book of the Bible: Romans
State: Minnesota - I'm a hometown girl! :)
Cereal: Fruity Pebbles
Date Night: Movie and Dinner
Fast Food: McDonalds
Restaurant: Applebees...might have to steal this one too. ;)
Mall: MOA
Store: Target
Beach: Not a big beach fan. Maybe Lake Superior?
Class in school: History
Smell: Yep.....fresh cookies wins here too!
Sound: Children giggling - and again we agree!
Tree: Pine or Fir
Day of the week: Probably Friday
Food: Pizza
Shoes: My Dr. Martens boots
Grocery Store: Does Piggly Wiggly in Door County count? ;) Probably Cub
House Temperature: Near 70 degrees
Drink: Diet Mountain Dew
Candy: M&Ms
Animal: Lion or Owl
Hobby: Scrap booking - Me too!
Flower: Daisy
Fruit: Pear
Looks like Molly and I had a few things in common. I would love to see if other people catch on to this! :)

Laura

Coolest Wine Cellar Ever!!!

2011-10-14T14:25:00.000-07:00

So I found these pictures on www.stumbleupon.com of a wine cellar and I had to post them. I'm not a wine drinker, but if you could fill this with some sparkling grape juice or cider I'd definitely want one in my home!!!

Just something fun for a Friday!

Laura

SIMPLIFY!!!

2011-10-11T15:20:00.000-07:00

Phew! That is all I can say to start out this post. It's been a crazy few days! Jason and I were down in Farmington much of the weekend watching the little'uns while their folks were in Florida. It was a lot of fun and they are 3 of the most well-behaved, sweet little boys you could ever meet, but since Jason and I are not parents and are not used to the rigors of having little ones around all the time, we are absolutely exhausted! :) And, of course, now comes the less fun part - getting my own house back in order after being away a few days.

I was all set today. I got off work at 1:15 and was going to take a nice, long hot bath and get everything in order and then start some laundry. Jason is bowling tonight so I would use the rest of the evening to update my blog and our hockey fantasy team. Alas, it was not meant to be. I got home to a nasty note from the mobile home park giving us two days to rake all the leaves or they will charge us and put a letter in our file - whatever that means. I was so ticked off!!! My mother-in-law did rake a little earlier in the week and the leaves just keep on falling. We were planning on getting the rest done Saturday but no......they won't give us that much time. Not sure how long we'll stay in this park after all the grief they have given us. Bah Humbug! :(

So, I got the raking done with Barb's help and there is just a little left for Jason and I to do tomorrow night. I took my bath and now am trying to get as much done as possible. In the midst of all of this frustration, my allergies/sinuses are flared up so my head is pounding, my foot is swollen and possibly sprained and I'm still pooped! I'm quite a mess, huh?! ;)

Time to simplify my life. I'm trying to focus on the things that are the most important to me and weed out all of the others. The non-negotiables? Time with my husband and extended family, church and bible study, work. Everything else will take a back-burner. The main thing I would like is to start enjoying my down time. I'm a planner and an organizer and it makes it tough sometimes. I get a bee in my bonnet that says I have to get certain projects done at certain times and it makes life not much fun. So my challenge to myself today is to simplify. Watch only the tv shows we have time for and not worry about how much is in the dvr...update my blog/facebook/twitter when I have something to say without worrying about how often I do it......work on projects when I'm feeling like I want to rather than "have" to......do small things every night rather than planning large things for one night....and the list goes on.

Life is too short. I want to start savoring every moment. If my laundry isn't done the exact minute I think it should be or if I have a couple of projects piled up, who cares?! It's my new stop and smell the roses attitude. And believe me with the mood I'm in this afternoon, I need to start employing this attitude NOW!!!

I do have a couple of really interesting blog topics lined up that I've been wanting to post for awhile now, but in the interest of simplifying, I will post them when I'm more relaxed and can really do a quality post. Now it's off to eat dinner and enjoy some quality time with my family.

Laura

Flying By

2011-10-07T11:45:00.000-07:00

Hi all! Just doing a quick fly-by post today. It's been a crazy week! Molly and Peter are in Florida, so the rest of the fam is on kid duty this weekend. Yesterday Mom had duty and I joined her in the afternoon with Dad. The three of us managed just fine despite some crazy little glitches thrown in for fun. Today it's Jason and Dad manning the house as well as tomorrow and then after I get off work tomorrow I head down to relieve Dad and it's Jason and I until Sunday night. Monday will be me on my own. Phew! I'm tired just thinking about it, but it's also SO much fun to get to spend quality time with my 3 favorite little boys Brady, Logan and Marshall. And they are such well-behaved little kids that there's really nothing to complain about. I'm going to try and take some good pics this weekend, so I'll post a pic blog later to fill you in on our adventure. :)

Work this week has been a big help. With everything else going on, it's been great that we've had super-short days. Less than 6 hours most days. Hopefully that holds out through tomorrow too! Tonight I'm on my own. I'm going to catch up on some reading, some tv and some bible study and then hit the hay to gear up for work tomorrow.

That's all for now, but I promise I'll be back next week. I have some great post ideas brewing..............

Laura

Fall and Other Updates

2011-09-30T15:01:00.000-07:00

Hello all! I've been a sporatic blogger lately and for that I apologize. Life has been a little crazy lately but I'm finally settling into a routine and it feels good. Tomorrow is October 1st and a lot of things are going to change in my life...for the better. I do this a lot. I plan changes and I succeed for awhile but then ultimately everything goes back to the way it was. But I'm not letting that stop me. Get back on the horse right?! And what better time to start then my very favorite season - FALL!!!!

I am SO excited for fall this year. It's always been my favorite season, but for some reason this year I'm even more excited. Jason and I have already enjoyed some fun fall activities. Last weekend we strolled along the street in downdown Wayzata and Excelsior and looked at some shops while sipping some hot chai tea and apple cider. The weather was nice and cool!! I'm hoping to visit an apple orchard either this Sunday or in a couple of weeks too. I love buying fresh crisp apples and looking at all of the fun fall crafts and gifts in the shops. We are also getting ready to go on a trip to Door County, WI in a couple of weeks and do a lot of antique shopping and strolling the beautiful streets of the small towns there. I can't wait!! :)

As for the changes? Well, I'm getting back on the healthy eating wagon. Last year around this time I started simply eating three meals a day, no snacking and no second helpings and I lost 10 pounds without even really working at it. So I'm going to start that again tomorrow. I'm also going to add either a walk outside or some sort of exercise on the Wii or PS3. Beginning tomorrow, my first three goals are: 1. 30 days straight of eating right; 2. 30 days straight of some form of exercise; and 3. Lost 10 pounds in 30 days. If I can get at least one of these goals met I will consider it a success. Baby steps. :) I'm also starting to get into a better routine for myself as far as getting ready for work, packing lunches, laying out clothes, etc. So far, so good. We will see what October brings.

Jason and I are also getting excited because hockey season starts on October 6th. This is our VERY favorite time of year. This year we are doing our own little fantasty league to help us really get in the mood. And hopefully our Minnesota Wild will give us something to cheer about this year! They certainly can't be any worse than the Vikes so far. :/

We are getting ready to start up our bible study on the Kings with Ariel again in a couple weeks too and really excited about that! I've started up my 2 Chronicles study too and am enjoying that as well. So that's what's up with me these days. Before I go, I did want to mention one thing that's been on my mind lately. I've been listening to a new talk radio station, My Talk 107.1 and I love it! It's mostly celebrity gossip but the djs are funny and it makes my days fly by. But the last few days they've had some polls regarding evangelical christians that have really been disturbing. Today's was that 88% of people who call themselves evangelicals have had pre-marital sex. Earlier this week, they had one that said that 50% of those who call themselves evangelicals believe that obligation to family ends when you become an adult and move out. Meaning that children need not worry about their parents or vice versa once they are adults. These two in particular really made me sad. For one thing, I find it so tragic that we are not teaching our young people the value of waiting until marriage to have sex. We are not teaching them the value of this gift and the plan God has for husband and wife exclusively. It's become a recreational activity and/or right of passage rather than a serious commitment as a married couple. And as far as family obligation? Anyone who knows me knows that I put my family first. I value that above anything else! To believe that families should not stick together for life is so sad to me. My parents, grandparents, sibling, spouse, neices/nephews, cousins, etc. will always be able to count on me. The fact that I'm an adult will NEVER change that. Honestly I wonder somedays what this world is coming to.

The bright side? HE is in control. Thank goodness right?!

I hope you are all enjoying fall as much as I am! We are still having some warm weather, so I'm hoping fall will last a nice long time! I'd be good with it lasting until at least Thanksgiving. :) Then I'll start thinking about the things I love about winter. Mainly...Christmas! :D

Laura

Doubting

2011-09-24T09:25:00.000-07:00

Jason and I started a new sunday school class at Chapel Hill two weeks ago and we are thoroughly loving it! It is a video series by James MacDonald and it discusses the promises of God. Last week we talked about the promise that God is in control. Always. The main thing we talked about with this promise was doubt. Unfortunately as humans, doubt is a big part of life. But the bible makes it clear that it shouldn't be so. In fact, James MacDonald believes that doubt has no place in the life of a Christian. I'm starting to see that he is right. Of course, doubt is one of the things I struggle with the most in my life. Here are some of the scriptures he referred to:

Proverbs 3:5-6
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths."

Luke 24:36-38
"Now as He said these things, Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them and said to them, 'Peace to you'. But they were terrified and frightened, and supposed they had seen a spirit. And He said to them, 'Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts?'"

Matthew 14
This is the story of Peter walking on the water to Jesus. As long as he keeps his eyes on Christ, he stays on top of the water but the minute he looks away his doubt causes him to sink.

These are just a couple and you can take from them what you wish. For me, it was a reminder that when we doubt, we tell God that He is not big enough for our fears and the things going on in our lives. An analogy that came to mind for me was this......Jason and I often times say that we would love to win the lottery so we can stop working and enjoy the remainder of our lives. We talk about how we would love to give money to those in need and all of the great things we could do. But then we remember the odds of winning the lottery and our hopes die out. Now, the lottery is probably not the best example because I'm not sure if that is the kind of godly pursuit we as Christians should be looking for, HOWEVER, for us to say that there is no way we could ever win is to say that God is incapable of overcoming those odds for us. When the reality is that should God choose for us to win the lottery, He can make that happen. No matter what.

This is one of my biggest struggles in life. I don't like to be let down. So when I'm looking forward to something, I tend to have a defensive outlook on it. I say things like "the weather probably won't hold out" or "I most likely won't get the day off work" or "that event will probably get cancelled anyway". Why? Because if I get myself into that negative mindset, then should one of those things happen, the letdown is much less. Because my expectations are that much less. But the problem with living that way is that 1) I don't get to enjoy the things that come with anticipation, looking ahead to a great thing and getting excited; and 2) God doesn't get the glory of my unwavering faith in Him that "All things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28.

My challenge to myself this week (and to anyone else who wants to accept) is to stop doubting. To take all of the cares I have in this world, and all of the good, bad and in-between that happens and give it to God. Really TRUST Him that He will work it out for the good of His glory and His will. There is no room for doubt if my heart is filled with trust and faith. I know that even when things don't work out the way I planned, they are working out for His glory. And even when I don't want to admit it, that is how I want to live my life.

As James MacDonald said last week: Doubt is the soil in which fear grows. I don't plan on giving fear a place to take hold in my life!

GOD IS GOOD!

Laura

14 Years - How is That Possible?

2011-09-19T19:14:00.000-07:00

The picture above was taken 14 years ago today (well, technically tomorrow since it's late Monday night). The day my life changed forever. Because this was the day I married my best friend, the man of my dreams, my soul mate and even better....the man God had planned for me from the moment I was born. We've both changed a lot since that day, but the one thing that never changed is our commitment to and love for each other. And the reason I believe we are stronger today than yesterday and will be stronger tomorrow than today is because we keep Christ at the center of our marriage.

I must admit, we have not seen tough times in our life and our marriage like some people have. It has been mostly smooth sailing and for that I am incredibly grateful. But I also know that should we come upon tough times, we are equipped to handle them. I'm grateful for that too!

Often I heard people say that they wish they could go back. Back to the days before they were married when they were dating and things were fresh and new and exciting. Or back to the days of planning the wedding and the actual day of celebration with family and friends and dressing up as a beautiful bride and a handsome groom. Or even to the first couple of years of marriage when you are still getting to know each other and everything is googly eyed wonder and newfound excitement. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed all of those parts a lot and wouldn't trade any of them for the world, but my favorite time is right now. Now that we are so comfortable with each other that there are no put-ons or pretenses, no hiding what we truly think so as not to rock the boat and best of all.......we know everything about each other and for me, anyway, I have never felt closer to anyone in my whole life. It's such a feeling of safety and security.

I'm not good at the mushy stuff. Jason was always better at the romantic gestures and the well-worded messages in cards and such. That's just one of the things that I love about him. I don't have anywhere near enough room to write them all down here. So I just want to say: Thank you, Jason for loving me with all of your heart for all of these years. Thank you for putting up with me during the times when I am not someone that is easy to put up with. :) Thank you for providing for me and for making me feel safe all of the time. I love you more than words can express and these have truly been the best 14 years of my life. You are my best friend and the love of my life. I cannot imagine one moment without you. I thank God every day that He brought us together (and gave us a fun story to share in the process) :)

In a world where marriage is thought of in such trivial terms and where divorce is considered a readily-available and no-regrets option for all, I am thankful to have been raised up in a family where marriage is so valued. At my grandparents 60th wedding anniversary party, we tallied up the number of years of marriage of everyone there including my parents, two sets of aunts and uncles, my sister, my grandparents and 3 cousins. As of today, that number is almost 200 years. And NO divorces. That's a landmark feat in today's society. And I'm SO thankful to have contributed 14 years to that number!!!!

Tonight Jason and I are celebrating by going out for dinner and looking ahead at the next year of our journey. Hopefully year 15 will be every bit as great as the last 14 have been. May God bless our marriage, our lives and our home and keep us relying on Him in all situations.

Laura

9/11/2001 - Ten Years Later

2011-09-09T14:54:00.000-07:00

The picture above is an image most of us will never get out of our heads. With the 10th anniversary coming up on Sunday, everyone is talking about that historic day. The day that more than 3,000 people from various parts of the world lost their lives to a tragic, cowardly terrorist attack. The day that America was dealt a blow like none she had ever felt before.

There are certain things that happen throughout history that become the trademark event of a generation. For generations past it was Pearl Harbor and the Kennedy assassination. For my own generation there have been a few such as the Challenger shuttle explosion and the Oklahoma City bombing. But the major one for this generation is 9/11/2001. I'm a big believer in keeping these this story in the headlines and making sure that we never forget what happened that day. We owe it to the people who lost their lives, the brave men and women who gave their lives trying to help others and to our nation as a whole to never forget what happened, why it happened and who was behind it. We cannot allow ourselves to be that complacent ever again. There is evil in this world whether we want to acknowledge it or not. I could easily go on for pages and pages about the politics behind the attacks and the things that have been done (or not done) since, but that's not what I want to do here. The important thing is to remember that people from all walks of life died that day. And we all as Americans were deeply affected. We should come together to remember this weekend. Put all of the politics aside and just remember. In that spirit, I thought I'd share my "9/11" story.

I remember it like it was yesterday. I was sitting at my desk at Mills Companies where I worked with my dad. The guy across from me, Bob at his desk and I were both listening to talk radio. We heard them say that a plane had hit the World Trade Center. Bob right away said that he figured it was a small plane and someone was either not a very good pilot or had some trouble. It was sad and a little odd, but we got back to work. Then just about 20 minutes later we heard that another plane hit the other tower. Now it was getting weird. We were trying to figure out if they were two small planes flying together or what had happened. Never in our wildest imaginations did we think it was what it truly was. When I heard them say that it was a passenger jet I just about fell out of my chair! I remember heading into the other room to see if my dad was listening. We tried to bring up CNN on the internet but it was way too busy so we had to settle for the radio. It was not long after that we realized that we were being attacked by terrorists. This was no accident. It was just shortly after this that a plane slammed into the Pentagon and then the plane that went down in Shanksville, PA. The rest of the day seems like such a blur to me. We remained at work and unable to actually see anything, so I didn't have an image in my head, just words. There were reports of smoke near the White House and threats at the Boeing plant in Seattle. All flights were grounded immediately. It was scary! As someone who had lived my whole life in America, I couldn't wrap my head around the fact that someone had brought the fight here...in our backyard. I mean, that happens in the Middle East, not here.

I will never forget standing in the office with my dad, listening to the news on a television radio when all of a sudden the reporter went silent. When she finally began to speak again, she was barely composed as she announced that one of the towers had collapsed. Not long after, the other went with it. It wasn't until I got home and turned on the television that I fully understood the magnitude of what was happening. Watching the planes hit and the towers fall - it was overwhelming. And hearing the amazing story of the passengers of Flight 93 who heard through cell phone conversations with family what was happening and took that plane down before it could reach it's destination - most likely the White House. When I think about what those people were going through, knowing they were going to die and choosing to give their lives to save other Americans - WOW! Heroes, for sure. The weeks after the attacks were filled with news reports showing people standing on the streets of New York with photos of loved ones, many of whom would be lost forever. It was hard to comprehend.

Living in Minnesota, it is easy to distance myself from what happened. I didn't know any of the people that were lost, and there is no evidence of the attacks here for me to see every day. But I love my country and it makes me angry that this happened. I'm sad for those who were lost and those who lost loved ones and angry that Osama bin Laden and his group did this to us. I'm thankful that he has been apprehended and grateful for every man and woman in our military who has fought and in some cases died to make that happen. We are a blessed nation.

One of the better memories I have of that time in 2001 is from the weeks following the attacks. Every highway overpass had an American flag hanging on it. Ever radio station played patriotic songs. We saw members of congress gather and sing "God Bless America". There were no democrats or republicans. There were no races, sexes or any other groups. We were all just Americans and we came together during that time like never before. It saddens me to see that we've drifted so far from that today, but maybe for just one day we can put all of that aside and just remember. I have a dvd that CNN put together with footage of the 9/11 coverage and Jason and I watch it every year. I've had people tell me they think I'm morbid and creepy for wanting to watch that, but I feel it's necessary. It reminds me what happened that day and reminds me to be grateful every second that I was born into this great nation.

America has been heading down a dark road recently, and as a believer I know that the road probably isn't going to get any brighter, but I also know that God has not removed His hand from us yet. I'm thankful for that. As a believer and as an American I am a very, very blessed girl!

9/11/2001: WE WILL NEVER FORGET

New Project

2011-09-08T15:25:00.000-07:00

With fall almost here, I thought I'd share my latest fall-inspired project: Our bathroom. We live in a mobile home that was new in 1983, and none of the wallpaper has ever been updated. Needless to say, our bathroom is looking pretty dated. But because I don't want to spend the money to try and find new wallpaper (or whatever it is), I decided to do a fall theme. Our walls our orange and brown flowered, so I got orange (or pumpkin) and brown colored accessories and really spruced the place up. I even managed to find storage space in our shed for all of the junk that was taking up our bathtub so that is usable again too! What do you think?

I wish this had come out clearer, but I couldn't get it in the bathroom light. It's an owl lantern that we found at an antique store quite awhile ago and then owl candles I picked up at Target last night on each side. Hoot!

I must admit I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out. And it's so nice to have the bathroom cleaned and spruced up! It even helps my mood when I'm up at 4:45 am getting dressed during the week! And that's saying something! :) I removed the plastic from the window so I can get a nice breeze in when it's steamy from a shower too! :) Now I'm going to browse antique stores and thrift shops for a couple of fun wall hangings that are bathroom-appropriate and have fall colors! Can't wait!

I'm off now to help Jason grill some brats and hot dogs and get ready for the NFL opener tonight! I feel like fall is officially starting when football starts. Of course the 85 degree weather puts a tiny hold on that, but I'll take it! It's a gorgeous day for grilling and pigskin!!!

Laura

Fall

2011-09-06T13:12:00.000-07:00

Fall is officially 17 days away (9/23), but it is already starting to feel like fall outside and I'm getting excited! I've had a great summer this year, one of my best in quite awhile. I even actually enjoyed the sunny days and the warmth and spent a lot of time outdoors compared to other years. And I certainly don't want to rush into fall, because when that happens we tend to get winter way too early. So I'm happy with 70s and 80s for now and a gradual sinking into fall. I'd like fall to stick around for awhile this year.

In case that paragraph didn't already tell you, fall is my absolute favorite season! I love the weather, the cool crisp air and the falling colorful leaves. I also love that the best day of my entire life - the day I married my best friend - happened in fall!! I love that football season is starting and that Sundays will be filled with church, grilling or some other fun lunch and then watching the Vikings with Jason. I love that visits to apple orchards will begin and walks through the crunching leaves. And this year I love that fall brings October which brings our trip to Door County and time off work! :):)

My favorite clothes to wear our hoodie sweatshirts, sweaters and jeans. And I love wearing my fun jackets. I'm not a huge fan of big bulky winter coats, but I do love my fall jackets. And this year, Jason and I have a fun plan for Halloween too! We are going to try a new place in Chasks called Screamtown! It looks really scary but really fun!

For all of those reasons, I'm excited for fall to come. But regardless of the weather or the activities fall brings, I like to look at the change of seasons as another new beginning of sorts for me. I've been working hard at getting back into a good routine of daily devotions and time studying God's Word. I'm also going through all of my weight-loss and exercise stuff today and getting ready to get my behind back in gear on that front. Walking is more appealing to me when it's cool outside, and Jason even likes to walk with me this time of year! We are hoping to get our porch cleaned up a bit so we can grill a lot in the cooler evenings too! I also just had a blast redecorating our bathroom with dark brown and pumpkin colors. I think it looks great if I do say so myself!

So, that's what I'm up to these days. I'm looking forward to hearing how my little nephew Brady's first day of 1st grade went and to trying to find some time to run through the leaves, play at the park and maybe even visit a pumpkin patch or something with my 3 favorite little guys this year!

I hope everyone is having a great Tuesday!!!

Laura

State Fair Food, Parts 2 and 3

2011-09-06T13:03:00.000-07:00

Hey all! So you saw my first state fair blog with all of the yummy treats we tried the first day. Well, below are pics of everything we ate on day 2 and 3 in no particular order. Enjoy!

Corn Dogs

Fried Ravioli

White Razzie Fudge Puppy

Sweet Marthas

Buffalo Chips

London Broil steak sandwich - our favorite!!

More cheese curds!!

More mini donuts!!

My oven fresh brownie!

Jason's slice of Pizza Wagon pizza

Deep-fried chocolate chip cookie dough - SO AWESOME!

Corn Dogs

Taffy

A fruit-loop Rice Kristie bar

More fries!

Deep-fried apple pie with cinnamon ice cream

Garlic fries - not our favorite for sure.

Well, that concludes yet another year of fair foods. I can't believe how fast it goes every year. Until next year,

Laura

Update on Project Me

2011-08-29T08:40:00.000-07:00

Hey all! I hope everyone is enjoying this final week of August. For me, it is the corridor into my favorite season: Fall. I absolutely love everything about fall. Of course, when I was a school kid fall was not so great but now as an adult it is my favorite season. The falling colorful leaves, the cool crisp breezes and apple orchards! :)

I've actually really enjoyed this summer, more than most. I've been able to spend time with my sister and her boys and my cousin Katie and her little girl and that has been so great!! There is nothing more important to me than spending time with my family. So precious!! And we've done a lot of picnics at the parks and other outdoor activities that I normally would have shyed away from in the warm weather, but this year I embraced it and it was fun!! Jason and I also went to the Minnesota State Fair twice already and have one more day to go on Sunday. It was hot in the sun, but otherwise very nice weather for our favorite event!

As for "Project Me"? Well, so far so good. I've been making a list of little things that I want to do around the house and slowly tackling them one at a time. I'll be heading to the grocery store this week to purchase some healthy food options for my upcoming push to get back to healthy eating. Today I'm going to get back into my study of 1 Chronicles and back into my daily devotion/prayer routine. I'm also going to try and do more reading and less tv/computer. Although I could never give up those things!! :) But the most important change that I'm already noticing is in my attitude. I'm focusing much more on what God is doing in my life and less on the things that I don't care for. When I'm at work I am focusing on giving glory to Him. My days go faster and it's even a little (a very little) easier to get up in the morning and head out. I'm still working on being more positive too and have made small strides in that area. A negative attitude can be a hard habit to break.

The next thing I want to really focus on this upcoming holiday season is family. I want to spend as much time as possible with the people I love and make sure that my relationships with these people are as good as can be. I see the earthquakes, hurricanes and other tragedies happening all around us and am again reminded of how short life is. I don't want to waste my time on things that don't matter and have no eternal value. I want to enjoy the great people God has put in my life while I have the chance. The best part?? Ultimately, I will be able to enjoy most of these people forever in heaven!!

So "Project Me" is moving right along. Obviously, it won't be completed until the day I am raised to glory with my Savior, but I'm looking forward to working on it until that day comes. I feel like my life has a purpose like never before now. And what better purpose could there be than living my life to the fullest for my Creator?!

Here's hoping for a fantastic final week of August for all of my friends and family!

Laura

State Fair Food - Yum!

2011-08-26T09:03:00.000-07:00

Here we go again! Just like last year, I'm posting a picture diary of all of the foods we ate at the fair. So be warned: If you have trouble looking at yummy treats without going off your diet or going crazy, don't go any further! ;)

We had a great day! I can't believe it is already over. We stayed for 15 hours and the weather was beautiful! We are feeling a little worn out today but looking forward already to next Sunday when we do it all over again!!!! So enjoy our pics of Day One food!!!

We started out with a classic: mini donuts

I enjoyed a footlong. Jason's not big on these.

Jason's cheese curds. I might have snuck one or two. ;)

We met a friend of Jason's and his wife for our favorite turkey sandwiches. This might be our all-time favorite state fair food.

Tater Twister. This was new for us and really good.

My annual Kiwanis malt - strawberry.

Another new try: breakfast lollipop from Axels. Really good!! It's a sausage patty deep-fried in cornmeal batter and served with maple syrup.

Jason's jerk chicken taco.

French fries. My first time and I really loved them.

Deep-fried Reeses pb cups - heavenly!

Another new try. Thanks to Ben Paxson for the idea....nitro ice cream. Probably added to our list of must-haves for future years!

And yet another new try...horchata. It's milk with cinnamon, rice and almonds. Really tasty!

Hope you enjoyed the photos and maybe found something new you want to try this year. After Sunday I will post another food blog and I'll fill you in on some of the other fun things we did at the fair!

Laura

Project Me

2011-08-18T13:58:00.000-07:00

I've been listening to more music today, and man can that stuff inspire! LOL. I also just finished re-reading my post from yesterday and it got my juices flowing again. I've been wanting to post about this for about a month now but wasn't quite ready to put it out there. Today I think I am. It's scary for me to write this where people can see, but I want to be open and honest about my life. So here goes nothing....

I'm starting a new project in the weeks and months to come. It's one that will most likely continue for the remainder of my life. I'm calling it "Project Me". You see, I've been taking a closer look inside myself and I do not like what I see. I have a black, dirty, sinful heart. There, I said it. Now I'm not a murderer or a thief or any other sort of criminal. I haven't committed what we call the "big" sins. But then I'm reminded that there aren't any "big" sins with God. A sin is a sin is a sin. And I do that all the time. When I'm crabby a work; when I have a bad attitude about getting up in the morning; when I neglect to give God praise for all of the blessings in my life; and the list goes on. When I look at the ten commandments, there are plenty that I have broken in my lifetime and that I continue to break. For example, I have never worshipped another God (#1) or worshipped an idol (#2). I do not take the Lord's name in vain (#3). I've never killed anyone or committed adultery and I don't steal (#6,#7,#8). But the others? I don't always observe the Sabbath the way I should. Now I know that we don't do quite what the folks in the Bible did and our sabbath is Sunday, but it should be a time for church and time with my family. And often times it's not. Honor my father and mother? I do a much better job as an adult than I did as a kid, but sometimes I'm not as respectful as I should be. Covet? All the time. Wishing I had what others have or wanting to win the lottery or whatever the case may be. And bear false witness? Well, not directly against my neighbor perhaps, but isn't that just a fancy way of saying lying? And I definitely do that.

I want to be clear here. I'm not "outing" myself as some monster who lies all the time and tells my parents to bug off and gambles and drinks my Sundays away while wishing I could trade my life in for someone else's. But I see enough of these traits in my own heart that it really bothers me. So I'm cleaning house. I'm going to make a conscious effort from this moment forward to be the person God wants me to be, the person He CREATED me to be. I want my life to glorify Him at every turn. Even the mundane parts of it. When I'm crabby about going to work, I need to remember that I don't work for Medtox, I work for Him. He put me in the situation I'm in and I need to honor Him no matter what.

When I first really started noticing that I was struggling with these things was after my unemployment. See, we were blessed in that my unemployment came at a time when our expenses were low enough that we could handle it for a few months. So I enjoyed it. I loved staying home and being free to do as I chose every day. When I finally did get a job, it was tough to give that up. So I've had a negative attitude towards work ever since. I've been wishing we could win the lottery, find a rich long-lost relative or find a way to become nomads and quit working. ;) But that isn't what God wants for me. If it was, I wouldn't be in a position where I financially need to work. But I am so it is His will.

I guess my main focus here is that I've become a negative person. I never used to be. I always prided myself on being a realist. I wasn't optimistic or pessimistic. I saw things the way they were. And I still am for the most part, but I see myself sliding down the slope of negativity. I'm pretty big into politics and watching what is happening to our nation is enough to make anyone negative. And when I see other people talking positively, it tends to annoy me. I want to scream SHUTUP!!! Stop being so dang annoyingly positive! But why? I mean, really shouldn't that be what I want? I do think there comes a time when we do have to be realistic, but you can do both. There are people in my life right now who are struggling with the crud that life tends to throw at us from time to time. How can I be there for those people if I'm constantly having a negative attitude about my own life? I can't.

So "Project Me" is an effort to open up my heart and soul and let Jesus do the cleanup job that His death on the cross and resurrection made possible. It's like having free maid service but refusing to open the door so the maid can come in. Who would do that??!! Me, apparently. So my door's open Lord. Come into my heart, clean out the gunk and help me to become a positive, life-affirming person. I want to exude Your love from myself in such a way that people who are around me can't help but know that something is different in my life. And that is NOT who I am or who I've been, so this will be a really big struggle for me.

Here's to a new me!

Laura

Would My Hands Stay Lifted?

2011-08-17T15:09:00.000-07:00

So I was sitting at work today listening to my iPod when a song came on. I've heard this one before, but this time it really struck me differently. It is sung by my all-time favorite praise-song band, Kutless. They do modern versions of a lot of the old praise songs and add some new ones too. Perhaps you might know "Strong Tower", one of the most popular on KTIS these days.

Anyway, I want to put the lyrics here for you and then tell you a little about how they affected me today:

I'm Still Yours

If you washed away my vanity
If you took away my words
If all my world was swept away
Would you be enough for me?
Would my beating heart still sing?

If I lost it all
Would my hands stay lifted
To the God who gives and takes away
If you take it all
This life you've given
Still my heart will sing to you

When my life is not what I expected
The plans I made have failed
When there's nothing left to steal me away
Will you be enough for me?
Will my broken heart still sing?

Even if you take it all away
You'll never let me go
Take it all away
But I still know that I'm yours
I'm yours
Oh I'm yours
I'm still yours
I'm still yours

It literally brings tears to my eyes just reading the lyrics. You should really listen to this song if you get the chance. The line that gets me the most is...."If I lost it all would my hands stay lifted?" Because sometimes I wonder if mine would. I give thanks to Jesus every day for the blessings in my life and I have been abundantly blessed. But if I lost everything, would I still praise Him? Or would I ask why and how He could take those things from me. We all have times in life where we go through a rough patch and we wonder why God isn't blessing us. For me, there have been some financial hard times, some physical hard times and some emotional hard times, and although I did my best to continue to praise Jesus for His blessings, it was much harder during those tough time. But when I read the words "If I lost it ALL..." I wonder...what if I literally lost it ALL? What if all of my possessions were taken from me? What if I lost the people I loved? What if literally the only thing I had in this world was Jesus Christ? Would I still praise Him? I hope so, because He is the only thing that matters.

So I wanted to share this song with you all today and hope that it touches you the way it touched me. I am definitely looking at life differently today. I'm remembering to praise Jesus in ALL things - good and bad, and remembering that even if my entire life is ripped from me, I can praise Him because He will NEVER leave me. And He is worthy of all honor, glory and praise all the time, no matter what.

I love You, Jesus...and am SO grateful for all of the blessings in my life. Please help me to keep my hands lifted to you regardless of my circumstances. Amen.

Laura

It's a Health Issue

2011-08-10T14:27:00.000-07:00

So I've been thinking a lot lately about health. No matter where I look - television, radio, friends and family, my own personal life - it's there. Talk about losing weight and being healthier. The main goals? To look better and live longer. At least that's what I hear. My own struggle with my weight has been no secret. I'm still struggling and will tell you a little more about that in a moment. However, I've realized lately that my motives are the same as those of the world....looking better and living longer. That's something I want to change IMMEDIATELY. Because I realized something today:
Why is my physical health so much more important than my spiritual health?

The truth is, it isn't more important. But we sure treat it that way, don't we. I mean, these bodies are temporary, yet we treat them like we can live forever. What a sad statement, seeing as if all we focus on are our earthly bodies, we will lose out in the end. Our souls are what matters. They are what we need to take care of. If you, like me have already accepted Christ as your Savior, then your soul is good. Of course, it can always use strengthening and healthy food (God's Word) to keep it strong and ready for His return. Don't get me wrong...I am in NO WAY saying that we should neglect our physical health. God gave us these bodies and even though they are temporary, we should take good care of them. I'm just suggesting that we remember that God will take us when it is our time, and no amount of diet, exercise or fretting is going to change that.

So what am I doing about this? Well first of all, I'm going to focus much more on my spiritual health than my physical. I'm going to get back into my study of 1 Chronicles that I started while I was unemployed, and in addition I'm going to get myself into a good routine of prayer and time in His Word every morning. Now I have to get up at 4:45am for work, so this can be difficult, but I want to start my day right, so here's the plan. Generally I leave the house around 5:45 and get to work around 6am. I don't start until 6:30, but if I don't get there at 6 I have no place to park. So I'm going to start using that 1/2 hour in the car before work to spend time praying and reading God's Word. Thank goodness for a smart phone with the Bible app on it, right?! :) And I'm home early enough in the afternoon that getting back into 1 Chronicles should not be hard to do. I'm excited to start changing the "food" that I'm feeding my soul and see what changes God brings to my life because of it.

As for my physical health, since most of you have been on the journey with me I felt I owed you an update. Unfortunately, I did not make my goal and have not been following through on my plans. However, there are a couple of bright spots. For one, I have not gained a single pound since I started my job in May and I have still maintained pretty good eating habits at breakfast and lunch. Dinners have been shady at best and I've been doing too much snacking. So I'm working on a new plan. For now I'm going to continue being careful, but on September 1st, once the state fair is a memory (:(), I will be starting fresh again hardcore. My ultimate goal will be at least 50 pounds in a year. And my plan as of now is to do the "No S" Diet that I've discussed on here before. If you need a refresher, you can look at my early posts, but otherwise the basics are this: No Seconds, No Sweets and No Snacks except on days that begin with "S". (S days are Saturday, Sunday and Special (Holidays, etc)). I would love to hear any suggestions that you may have as far as whether my goal seems doable, what you think about my plan and any healthy tips. Also, any ideas about fun ways to exercise that won't cost me anything. Right now I do a lot on the Wii and I love to walk. The only thing I am unwilling to do is to cut anything out of my diet 100%. I think that is unrealistic and know that I won't stick with it. I need a plan for life.

Thanks for all of the support and prayers I have already received from all of you and that I'm sure I will continue to receive. The most important things I want you to take from this post are to remember that prolonged life and looking good should not be your motivation for weight-loss, health should; and that our spiritual health should always take precedence. Our souls are permanent while our bodies are temporary.

Laura

Stoney Creek

2011-08-04T14:02:00.000-07:00

As promised, below are some pictures of our Stoney Creek trip. We had so much fun!! On Friday, Jason took off work at noon and he and Radcliffe rode with my mom and dad in the van. They got an early start and were able to get the camper all set up before we got there. I got off work at around 1:30 and read my book while waiting for my ride. Molly and the boys picked me up around 3 and then we drove down to Eagan to pick up Peter and head out. We stopped at McDonalds in Menomonee for dinner and arrived at the campground a little after 7pm. We got our keys for the cabin and got all settled in. Friday night we decided to get a fire going so we could roast some s'mores. It was a little warm but still a great time at the campfire.

Then on Saturday we drove out to our favorite bulk food store, Weavers, and got some treats. We had hot dogs on the grill for lunch and then took the kids swimming. It was perfect pool weather. Hot and humid. :) We had a blast at the pool, but poor Logan took a spill on the slide and ended up with some pretty big scars on his cute little face. After swimming we headed back to the cabin and Jason and Peter and I went out to get Subway for dinner. We hung out in the cabin for a bit and then went to bed a little early.

Sunday always comes too fast when you're having fun doesn't it?! It was really hot out, so we hit the park but then decided to go inside. We got checked out of our cabin and the whole troop headed over to Taco Johns for lunch. Then Molly and her gang headed out while Jason helped Dad get the camper put away and hooked up. We rode home with Mom and Dad and had to have the heat on part of the way because of the hot temp and the van trying to pull the camper. :( But we had fun anyway! We stopped at a rest stop and got some refreshments to keep cool.

It was a really great weekend! We've done this 3 years in a row now and I think it will definitely continue to be an annual thing. Well, that's about it. Enjoy the pics!!!

Jason and Radcliffe in the cabin.

Brady and Logan on the train.

Campground info and our cabin key.

Weavers, the bulk food store.

Radcliffe outside the campground.

Laura

Weird, Odd and Annoying

2011-08-03T12:36:00.000-07:00

Hello all! So I decided to listen to talk radio today and man was it an interesting day to listen. I've always enjoyed KTLK, a conservative talk radio station (100.3FM) here in the Cities, but today it was in rare form. The morning crew was talking about some of the odd laws out there and the even weirder cops that enforce those odd laws. So I just had to share a few with you. There were some other interestign stories today too, so here are some highlight tidbits:

**A 4 year old girl was running a lemonade stand during a town festival in her small town. It was in her yard and she was selling it for 25 cents a glass. The cops told her she had to shut it down because she hadn't applied for the $400 permit to run a food stand during the festival. When confronted with the ridiculousness of this situation, the mayor said it was a "health issue" because they didn't know where the water had come from to make the lemonade. Seriously?!

**An Amish family was stopped sometime early this spring and fined a large sum of money because they were transporting milk over state lines. What this means is that they were milking their own cows, bottling that milk and driving 5 miles into the neighboring state to bring the milk to a store there to sell. Again, seriously?!

**A Bloomington man is going to spend at least 10 days in jail for feeding birds in his yard. Apparently the city of Bloomington has a law that states that bird feeders must be off the ground or suspended in the air. This man's neighbors noticed that he was putting feed on the ground for the birds, videotaped this and sent it to the city to report him. Obviously these people have too much time on their hands. Sheesh!!

**And last but not least, apparently almost all of our 50 states have laws on the books (although mostly unenforced) that state that you cannot grow fruits or vegetables in your own yard and then give them to friends or neighbors. This is because they have not been inspected by the proper authorities, so you cannot sell or give them to anyone. The best part? You can invite those same people over to eat those same veggies or fruit at your home if you prepare them with no problem. Again, seriously?!

Just a few fun stories to keep us laughing today. It's a crazy, weird, odd and annoying world we live in, isn't it?!

Laura

Update

2011-08-01T08:38:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday morning all!! :D

I just wanted to drop by and give a quick update on what we've been doing. I have a couple of fun things in the works to share too. This past weekend was so much fun! It was our annual family trip to Stoney Creek in Osseo, WI. This year, Jason rode up with Mom and Dad on Friday afternoon and got their camper all set up and Molly and the boys picked me up at work at 3pm and we picked up Peter at his work and headed out ourselves. Jason and I and Molly, Peter and Marshall sleep in a cabin while Brady and Logan camp with Mom and Dad in their camper. It was a hot and sticky weekend, but with a/c in the cabin and a pool we had a really great weekend! We grilled hot dogs for lunch on Saturday, went swimming, played at the park and had a campfire Friday night with s'mores. I have some pics that I'll share later this week.

Today was tear-down. You know how that goes. It seems so much tougher to clean up everything after a vacation than it is to pack and get ready to go, doesn't it?! I've got my second load of laundry in the washing machine right now and finally have the bags unpacked, so I'm going to try and relax a bit.

As for the things in the works?? I'm working on a few ideas for posts for my own blog. A couple of fun photo filled posts of our weekend trip and another inspired by a neat song I heard the other day. I don't want to say too much until I have the post formulated. :) The other fun thing is that I'm going to start a new blog for Radcliffe. Most of you who read my blog know who Radcliffe is, but for those who don't, you will find out this week! :) I will put a link to his blog on the sidebar of mine. Radcliffe does a lot of traveling, so this will be a travel blog of sorts telling about his adventure. I think it will be a lot of fun!!

I hope you all have a great, God-filled week and that His blessings are abundant for all of us in our daily lives this week!

Laura

Contentment

2011-07-22T13:11:00.000-07:00

Does God ever talk to you? Does He ever lay something on your heart so strongly that it's all you can think about? Well, He's doing it to me and I'm not sure I really like it that much. ;) Okay, so I do like it when He speaks to me, but sometimes I feel like a child being reprimanded by my parents.

For the past week or two it's been contentment. God has been speaking volumes to me on the subject. I can't get away from it, everywhere I go. So I was taking stock of some of the things that have caused discontent in my life lately.

1. The weather. It's been a hot and humid summer and as someone who's ideal temperature is around 65, that is not pleasant. I've been better this year for sure, enjoying some picnics out with Molly, Katie and the kids and even going to the zoo on one of the hot days. But I still complain, almost every day, about the heat.

2. My job. The good part about this is that the job itself is not the problem like it's been in the past nor are my coworkers, but it's the fact that I have to get up every morning and go to work. Especially on Saturdays. Blech!

3. Finances. Another daily complaint of mine has been why we can't just win the lottery already. This kind of goes along with not wanting to work.

Those are my top three lately, but of course there are always others and plenty of them. Seems I can always find something to complain about, but can't we all? So what should my attitude be about these things? Well, as far as the weather, God has been putting a thought in my head that I feel I really want to share. He's been reminding me that whether it's summer or winter, sunshine or snow or rain, I should make the most of each day and find a way to enjoy it. Why? Because if I say that there is no way I can have a good day because of the weather, I am really telling God that His will is not good enough. Because He creates the weather. He decides what each day will bring. So who am I to tell Him that it has to be a bad day because of His choice? Likewise and even more so with the job and finances. I am working at Medtox because it's where God wants me. I make the amount of money I make because it is His will. And boy has He provided!

That is just some of what God has laid on my heart this week. Now I just want to be clear. This is about me. I'm not telling anyone else what they should think, feel or believe about the topic of contentment. Because God has been speaking to me specifically, He may have a different message for each of you. :) But here's the bottom line of what He's been saying to me: I live in the most free country on earth. I have a roof over my head, food to eat and clothes to wear. I have a way to make a living and so does my husband. And I have the most amazing husband, parents, sister, cousins and friends that anyone could ever ask for. I am truly blessed and it's time I started acting like it!

What has God been laying on your heart lately? I'd love to hear about it!

Laura

Modesty

2011-07-18T09:16:00.000-07:00

Yesterday at church I was made aware of something that I hadn't thought of in awhile. The lack of modesty among today's young people, even Christian young people. In one service, I saw two teenage girls with shorts that were short enough that you could almost see the edge of their behinds, and a couple of young women (adults, but younger) with what I would call tube top dresses on that left little to the imagination. I was frustrated, but more than that I was sad. Sad that we have let the ways of the world creep into our church so slowly and so quietly that most people don't even notice it.

When we attended Bethlehem Baptist several years ago, John Piper did a sermon one Sunday on modesty and it's importance. I found it very interesting. I'm someone who tries to be modest anyway, but even I learned some things from this sermon. He talked about things like jeans with no back pockets, wearing a purse over your shoulder that separates your breasts and tee shirts with small logos right over your breasts so people have their attention drawn right there. Small things that don't seem like a big deal, but to the men that are looking at us, they can be a very big deal.

He talked about the fact that men are very visual. Something most of us know, but as women might sometimes not think about. So when we go to church, there are godly men who are doing their best to live their lives according to His word, but they walk into a service and are confronted immediately with women hanging out of their clothes. It isn't fair. As Christian women, we need to think about this when we dress.

And it shouldn't only apply to church. The only people who should see our bodies in all of their glory are our husbands. Think about what your husband is feeling when you walk out the door hanging out of your clothes and other men are staring. I've heard the argument from women that they dress to feel good about themselves. Really? It makes you feel good about yourself when men stare and ogle? It shouldn't. It should make you feel ashamed. Because that is not what God created your for...to be an object for men to stare at. He created you for your husband and him alone.

I am in no way as elegant as John Piper in talking about this subject, so I would encourage all Christian women to head over to this link: http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/ask-pastor-john/is-modesty-an-issue-in-the-church-today#related_links
This is just a snippet, but you can listen to the audio for the whole thing and there are links to related topics. Very interesting and informative stuff.

I want to challenge all Christian women to pay special attention to what you are wearing. I know it's tough today, because the clothing makers make mostly low-cut tops and hip-hugger jeans and especially in the summertime when you want to be cool in the heat. But let's make sure we are dressing in a way that we would feel comfortable if we stood face to face with Christ Himself. That outta make sure we are dressing modestly. :)

Something to think about.

Laura

Good Old Minnesota

2011-07-14T14:49:00.000-07:00

I LOVE MINNESOTA!!!!
Yes, it's true, I love the state of Minnesota. I was born here, grew up here and plan to die here. I am so proud to be from Minnesota. I love that people think we live in igloos and that it's always cold and snowy or when they think that we are po-dunk and uneducated in the sticks, or when they say that Minneapolis is the capitol rather than St. Paul. Okay, I don't love that, it makes me crazy when people don't know that St. Paul is the capitol, but what I'm meaning to say is that there is a mystique about Minnesotans and it's so much fun to be a part of that.

We have the biggest and best state fair in the nation, the Mall of America, more than 10,000 lakes, a big city, farms and small towns. We have the giant statue of Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox in Bemidji, the US hockey hall of fame in Eveleth, the Mayo Clinic in Rochester. We get hot and humid in the summer and freezing cold and snowy in the winter and everything in between. Basically, we have it all! :) There's a slight chance I might be biased on the subject, but that doesn't necessarily mean I'm not right. HeeHee!

It is precisely because of all of the above things that I love this state and why I am so angry with our government for shutting down and causing our great state so much grief. I'm angry with Governor Dayton, angry with the dems and the republicans that are not doing their jobs and just angry in general at the whole situation. I mean, congress is still getting paid but good men and women with government jobs have been laid off. Miller beer is unable to sell in the state, causing a layoff of delivery drivers. Certain vendors at the state fair will be unable to sell their food if the shutdown continues because they do not have the proper permits and cannot get them. This will mostly affect the smaller vendors who rely on the fair for income. You cannot get married, go fishing, hunting or boating. The Georgia-Pacific plant in Duluth is shutdown because the DNR doesn't have someone working to monitor water levels, causing widespread layoffs. And even dumb things like the man who recently won a largest fish contest but can't have his win certified because the person who does the certification is laid off right now. And then to hear today that the republicans in congress presented Governor Dayton with a balanced budget over a month ago that he refused to sign? Got me even angrier.

Now I don't pretend to know exactly how all of this works. I'm not privy to the inner workings of our government and while I do try my best to stay informed, I'm not smart enough to know exactly the ins and outs or the specifics. What I do know is that something needs to be done before our economy goes completely into the toilet. As I'm typing this blog post, there is a meeting going on at the capitol. I can only hope that by the time I get this post done, the shutdown will be over. Or shortly thereafter.

In the midst of all of this anger, I do want to say that we need to be praying for our governor and the members of the house and senate. Even when I'm angry at them and think they are doing a poor job, the response God wants from me is to pray for them. To try and understand that they have a tough job and a huge responsibility and to pray that He would give them the wisdom to make the right decision, so I want to do that more often. This applies to our local governments as well as our federal government and our president. Tough stuff, huh?! Definitely not something I want to do...it's just so much more fun to be angry right? But alas, that is not the response God requires.

Well, that was probably mind-numbingly boring to some of you, but it's what's on my mind today so I wanted to share. I love Minnesota. There is no place else I would rather live. It's where I prefer to take my vacations - especially Duluth - and it's where everyone I love is. So for me, it's the perfect place. But that's just me. I know not everyone loves Minnesota the way I do and that's okay. I feel the same way about one of my passions - hockey. It is a very small number of people who like hockey compared to the rest of the sports, but that makes me feel like part of a special group. I feel the same way about Minnesota. I love the whole package, including the crazy cold and snowy winters. Not many people love that, so I'm in a special group. :) And to be honest? I like that it's a small group...it keeps my nice little haven nice and small.

Here's to Minnesota! Hoping the government is up and running again soon and even hoping for some of our patented hot and humid summer weather for next week for the summer lovers!!! :D

You betcha!!

Laura

All Things New........

2011-07-08T13:18:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday all! This will be a quick one because I have a ton of stuff to do this afternoon, but I wanted to check in. This past week was a rough one. I was sick for a couple of days and just not feeling it at work or at home for that matter. I just wanted to crawl into bed and not do anything. This attitude infected my entire life like a disease. I was crabby at work and actually wondering if I even liked my job anymore and I was short with family and friends who called to chat. Let's just say I was not a lot of fun to be around.

But this morning I was reminded of a verse in Lamentations 3:22-23. "Through the Lord's mercies we are not consumed because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning..Great is Your faithfulness." This verse really spoke to me. It reminded me that every morning I can count on the Lord's mercies and compassions to bring me through the day. They are not dependent on what yesterday held or what tomorrow might bring, they are new for today. What a wonderful thought!

With this newfound piece of encouragement, I headed to work today with a brand new attitude. I was in a much better mood, feeling healthier and actually enjoyed my work day. I chatted with my coworkers, got my work completed and left with a smile on my face. And I'm feeling great tonight and looking forward to spending the evening having dinner with my husband and mother-in-law and then running some errands with Jason and hanging out tonight. I'm happy. And I have every reason to be, but Satan was trying his darndest to ruin that for me. So I'm greatful for Lamentations 3:22-23.

So grateful that His mercies are new every morning. I can't wait to see what He has in store for me tomorrow! :)

In that spirit, I decided to freshen up my blog and make that "new", as well as get my behind in gear and start planning for a "new" start to my weight loss this week. Going to really kick it into high gear and get back to where I was. More on that in another post later. For now, I'm going to revel in the fact that I belong to my Savior and that He makes all things new.

Laura

Independence Day

2011-07-02T17:30:00.000-07:00

As the 4th of July weekend is upon us, I've been thinking a lot about the state of our nation. So many people, including our President and other members of our government are telling us that we should not be proud to be the greatest nation on earth. That we should bow to the wishes of others and stop fighting for the things our great nation was founded on. They try to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance and off of our money, and they denegrate our soldiers who are fighting for our freedom every day. So today I am flying this flag proudly and wanted to print the words to one of my favorite patriotic songs, God Bless the USA by Lee Greenwood. Let's remember this weekend who we are, what our nation was founded on and how grateful we should be for our freedom. If you have the chance, thank a military member and their family for all they do. And for goodness sake, be PROUD to be an American.

If tomorrow all the things were gone I've worked for all my life;
and I had to start again with just my children and my wife.
I'd thank my lucky stars to be living here today;
cause this flag still stands for freedom and they can't take that away.

And I'm proud to be an American, where at least I know I'm free.
And I won't forget the men who died, who gave that right to me;
And I'll gladly stand up next to you and defend her still today.
Cause there ain't no doubt I love this land;
God bless the USA.

From the lakes of Minnesota to the hills of Tennessee;
Across the plains of Texas, from sea to shining sea.
From Detroit down to Houston, and New York to LA;
Well there's pride in every American heart and it's time to stand and say.

That I'm proud to be an American, where at least I know I'm free.
And I won't forget the men who died, who gave that right to me;
And I'll gladly stand up next to you and defend her still today.
Cause there ain't no doubt I love this land;
God bless the USA.

Happy Independence Day!!

Laura

Life is So Precious...............and So Short.

2011-06-27T09:50:00.000-07:00

This past week was long and trying to say the least. I worked no less than 9 hours each day starting last Saturday and we were so busy. Just completely physically exhausting. Still better than the emotional and mental exhaustion of my last job, but tiring nonetheless. We spent the weekend watching my cousin Katie's doggies and their house while they were gone. That was really a blessing. We got to "get away" for a bit and enjoy watching tv on their awesome comfy couch while being snuggled by basset hounds. :) Then Sunday we watched my ltitle nephew Marshall and that was a blessing as well.

On Tuesday, our family received some tragic news. Our nephew Mitchell, passed away very suddenly at age 22. The circumstances are not important, just the fact that it was a tragic, sudden loss of a very young life. The funeral service was on Friday and since then I've been wanting to blog about my feelings this past few days.

Anytime you lose someone, you are reminded of how fragile life is, but when the person is so young and it is so sudden and unexpected, the feeling is even stronger. I've been reminded this week after seeing the effects on our family just how short and fleeting and important life is. An odd phrase came to mind while I was thinking about things on my way home from work Thursday night. Remember in school when we learned nouns? People, places and things. The thought that popped into my head was that these three things basically make up all that is important to us in life, right? The people, the places and the things that we have, know, visit. But are we putting them in the right order in our lives? Because if you ask me, if we focus too much on the places and especially the things, we lose sight of the people. And they are the important ones.

I saw most of my family this week and it was really great. My grandparents were over for dinner on Monday night and again on Friday; the whole family on Jason's side was here Friday after the memorial service; we had dinner with my cousin Katie and her family on Wednesday; my mom and dad came to visit on Saturday evening; and we saw my sister and her family yesterday and got to spend some extra special time with little Marshall. I realized how blessed I am to have so many incredible people in my life. I want to make sure that everyone I love knows just how much they mean to me and I want to spend as much time as possible with the people that I love.

Jason and I both have some special people in our lives that are getting up there in years. I know noone wants to talk about this stuff and worries about offending and all that, but the fact remains. My grandparents are in their 80s, Jason's mom and aunts and uncles are also in their 80s. Now it's entirely possible that we might be blessed with 20 years still with these people, or maybe not. And this week was a stark reminder that age doesn't necessarily matter. God will call us home when it is our time, not when it is convenient for those around us.

Anyway, I'm rambling here, but I guess what I really want to get across is that life is so short. We are not promised one minute longer than the one we are currently living in. I don't want to waste one moment of my life focused on things that are unimportant rather than things that are. I want all of my family and friends to know how much I love them and to spend as much time with them as possible before our time on earth comes to an end. And even more importantly, I want to tell everyone I come into contact with, especially those close to me, the amazing gift of salvation that only comes through a relationship with Jesus Christ. Because when our time on earth is over, that is the one thing that matters above all. We believe that our nephew was saved and that he is in heaven rejoicing with his Savior right now. Now to make sure we do everything in our power to see the rest of our loved ones follow. Looking forward to that amazing reunion someday with our Father.

My advice to myself this week??
--Put people first.
--Stay in touch with loved ones.
--Live my life for Jesus with my heart on my sleeve.

Laura

Honestly Me

2011-06-20T08:42:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday morning all! :) It's been awhile since I've done the "bold blogging" that I really want to do here. (See the right hand side of my blog for link). So I want to start that again by today simply telling you a little bit about me. The real me. I feel like the best place to start is to tell you what is most important to me. Of course that would be my relationship with Jesus Christ, then my husband, my family and my friends. Those are the obvious things in my opinion.

I have a very small group of friends who are all family. I prefer a very small group of very close friends rather than a large group of who are not as close. I'm not really a "lets go out" kind of person. I don't do the casual Friday night hang out at the bar or coffee shop with friends thing. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but for me, I would much rather spend a quiet day home with my husband or a fun time of fellowship with my very small group of close friends. I guess I'm a bit anti-social that way, but that's just me. :)

Now to the thing that is more important to me than anything else (after the things mentioned above of course)....honesty. I have always been an honest person. Honest to a fault some would say. See, I have always wanted to live by the golden rule above all else. "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." But the problem with that is that this means different things to different people. It's the "as you would have them do unto you" part that makes this rule so subjective. An example? When most people as someone if they like their new haircut or new outfit or if they look fat, they are wanting a friendly pleasant response. They want you to say yes you love their new hair and no they do not look fat. I am NOT that person. When I ask you if my hair looks good I want you to be honest. Because if you tell me that it looks good and it doesn't, I'm spending my day in oblivion believing a lie. As someone who has struggled with being overweight in my adult life, I can honestly tell you that someone saying I'm fine as I am or not fat is not a compliment. It's a lie and I know it so it causes me to wonder what else they might be dishonest about. Does any of this make sense? So I have to remember when I'm speaking to others that while honesty is so important to me, it's not as important to others when it comes to trivial or small things. And I need to be sensitive to that so I can treat others as Christ wants me to treat them. I'm trusting Him to help me navigate this in my life and remember that we are not all the same. Perhaps the golden rule should be rewritten to say "Do unto others as Christ would do unto them". Less confusion that way.

The second most important thing to me is trust. Both others' trust in me and mine in them. One of my less than wonderful qualities is my ability to remember wrongs. It's not something I'm proud of but another part of who I am. If you break my trust, it will take a long,long,long,long time to get it back. And on the flipside, if you tell me something in confidence it stays in confidence. If you trust me with something important - say watching your children or taking care of your home for example - I will give it 110%. You can trust me with that. In a world where people are constantly letting each other down, I just think it is so important for Christians especially to be able to trust each other.

So that's a little about me. Some of the things that are the most important to me. I tend to keep a lot of the real me hidden in order to avoid confrontation or to be who I think people want me to be and it's just too exhausting to do anymore. Today I wanted to share these things on my blog to just get it out there who the real me is. I am nowhere near perfect. In fact, I am so far from perfect that I don't expect to even see a glimpse of the perfect me until the moment Christ returns and takes me home. So I'm doing the best I can while I'm here. And boy oh boy has God been working on me lately. It's scary and tiring but also so incredibly wonderful. My relationships are being enriched and I'm feeling more and more confident in who I am in Christ. It's been a great experience and I expect it will continue for the rest of my life.

So this is me. Honestly me. I know that while "me" might not be good enough for everyone, it is good enough for Him. In fact, I am perfect in His eyes. Thank the Lord for that.

2011-06-16T15:33:00.000-07:00

Well, I must admit that I was wrong and Fred was right about the Stanley Cup Finals. And let me tell you I have NEVER been happier to be wrong! The Boston Bruins have won the Stanley Cup! Despite all of the comebacks, the fantastic play of Tim Thomas, the game 7 wins and the triumph over their evil nemesis Montreal, I still did not believe they could do it until the buzzer sounded and the last game was over. Oh me of little faith.

But they went ahead and proved me wrong. Thomas was named the MVP, the Bruins hoisted the Cup and all is well with the world. I'm so relieved because as you know, I love the sport of hockey and I just don't think it would have been the same if the Canucks had won. They were dirty in this series. Very dirty....I mean, biting? Seriously? Aren't we all adults here? I guess not. And I think most people who are either marginal fans or not fans at all would watch this series and think..yep..that's why I don't like hockey. So violent and so dirty. So I am thankful that Vancouver did not win for that reason among many.

Anyway, that's really all I have to say until next season. I'm off to England to visit my mum and take a much-needed break. Toodles!!

Blump

Mini Update

2011-06-13T13:33:00.000-07:00

Hey all! I realize I've been a pretty sporadic blogger lately. Life's been crazy busy! So I thought I'd drop in and give an update. First of all, let me just say that God has been working in my life in amazing ways. He has given me clarification of some things that need changing and reminded me of the things that are from Him that are good in my life. I am very blessed and will not forget His mercies.

As for the job? Very good. I love the work. No stress, nothing to take home with me and nothing waiting the next day. Just an honest day of work and heading home to my family. Exactly the life I want right now. There is a new girl who just started and she is trying my patience but I'm asking God to help me to be loving and kind in dealing with her. Maybe He will allow me to be a witness.

My weight loss is not going as well as I would hope right now, but I'm not gaining so I'll take it. I'm getting back on the "No S" train because it's more manageable for me right now as I'm still getting used to my new schedule. I'm going to have to play with bedtimes because I am so tired after a full work week. What a wimp, huh?! ;) I'm thinking about getting back at my Biggest Loser dvd too because that was such a good workout and only 30 minutes so I can do it after work no matter what time I get home.

This past week we have had a lot of help from my Dad and my brother-in-law Lary with the house. Jason is so appreciative and has worked so hard to get the things done that we need to do for the association. The house is painted, the trim is painted, the facia has been replaced. Now we need to replace a broken window, do some work on the back porch and replace and clean the skirting around the bottom of the house. Luckily, Lary will be coming back to help with that later this week. We are lucky to have so much family around to help us out since we are not exactly the fix-it types. ;)

What does this week hold? I'm not sure. Yesterday we had a blast out at Molly and Peter's for a birthday party. I can't believe that Brady is 6 and Logan is 4 - where does the time go? Then today Molly and Katie and I took the kiddies to Como Zoo. It was gorgeous weather out and such a fun day. Tomorrow starts a new work week and I'm getting more and more comfortable with the work and the schedule, so I'm looking forward to it. Even that pesky Saturday. :D

So all in all, life is very good. God is showing me every day the plan He has for me and is teaching me new and exciting things, as well as reminding me of areas where I need to improve. So thankful and so blessed!

Have a wonderful week!

Laura

How Cute is This?

2011-06-06T09:21:00.000-07:00

Since I don't have kids, I very rarely get to post anything this cute. So I'm taking the opportunity to "borrow" my sister's youngest Marshall and present you with this video. Very serious Marshall swinging at the park with me trying my darndest to get him to smile. :) Seriously....HOW CUTE IS THIS??

Busy, Busy As a Bee

2011-06-06T09:14:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday! Yes, I realize how odd it sounds for someone to be happy on a Monday. I mean, let's face it....from school kids to working adults, Mondays are usually bad news. But not for me. See, I work Tuesday - Saturday now, so Mondays are my day off and I love em! :)

Of course today it seems that I have so many things on my to-do list that it's barely considered a day off. Who know so much could accumulate in just a week or two? I've been really off on my routine since I started work so today is sort of a fresh start, organizing kind of day. My two major tasks today are getting my bible study caught up and getting some new goals and plan in place for my weight loss. I've really fallen off the train of weight loss with my new work schedule. No excuses, but I do need to reassess my plan today and get back to it. Yesterday Jason and I picked up lots of healthy food choices so I just need to spend today getting some new goals in order and planning my meals for this week. I'm confident I'll get it all figured out and back on track in no time. To keep myself honest, I'm going to admit that I was back up to 245.5 today. It's not a great time of the month for weighing myself, so I'm hoping some of that is boatedness but I'm working off the assumption that it is gain.

All that aside, I'm confident and excited about the upcoming week. This will be my first "normal" week since I started my new job. There were orientations, tours, training and benefits information to try to deal with my first two weeks, plus a holiday last week so I have yet to get the feel for a full, normal work week until now. Yesterday we went to church and then ran some errands and today I'll be at home getting some catch-up done and relaxing and then tomorrow will be my first day of a new, regular work-week. I'm looking forward to it.

About that new job...I love it! I'm sure many people would think I'm crazy, but I love that I come in to work, sit at a desk, enter information into the computer and go home. No people to deal with, no phone calls and nothing to take home with me or wait for me for the next day. It's exactly what I have always wanted in a job. The people are great, and the hours are good too. While I'm not crazy about being at work at 6:30am, I do enjoy getting off around 2:30 every day. Even our "late" days are finished by 4pm or so. Pretty great if you ask me.

Well, I'd better get going on my to-do list. I'm a busy bee today. But I wanted to share an update on my life. I am SO thankful for the gifts God has given me. He has provided me wth a good, stress-free job, a wonderful husband who has been working hard on getting things done on the house despite the hot weather, reliable transportation, a roof over my head, and the support system I need to succeed in my weight-loss. I'm feeling very very blessed and life is very very good right now.

Laura

Fred and Blump's Finals Predictions

2011-05-31T08:25:00.000-07:00

I can't believe we're here - one day away from the Stanley Cup Finals! Fred and I are SO excited we can hardly contain ourselves! :) And to make things even better, our favorite team in the playoffs, the Boston Bruins, will be contending this year. Yeah! Here goes our picks:

Vancouver Canucks vs. Boston Bruins

Blump's Pick: Vancouver
Blump Roots For: Boston

Fred's Pick: Boston in 6
Fred Roots For: Boston

Blump: I just want to say one very disturbing thing.......Bobblehead Twins (for those who don't know, this refers to the Sedin brothers).

Fred: I'm going with my gut for this one. Something about the Bruins and the way they have battled this year in the playoffs and it seems like Boston, the city itself, is destined for another championship.

So away we go......let's see who wins this one!

Quick Update

2011-05-31T08:20:00.000-07:00

Boy oh boy does it feel like a long time since I've blogged. It's been a busy, busy week and holiday weekend. I started my new job on Tuesday the 24th and it's been crazy ever since. It was tough getting used to going to work at 6:30am every day (except Saturday at 8am) and even more difficult going to work on a weekend day, but the job is fantastic! It is EXACTLY what I would choose to do if I could pick my dream job - at least my dream job in the field I am in. Obviously my dream job would be something cool like a lion-tamer or something like that. ;) I feel very blessed and know for certain that I am where God wants me to be.

This weekend is a nice, long 3-day weekend for the holiday so that was nice too. Sunday we headed out to the cemetaries with Mom, Dad, Molly, Peter and the boys and it was great! We had a nice picnic and visited the cemetaries in Dalbo, Princeton and Blaine, remembering our loved ones who have gone before us. Then we headed back to Mom and Dad's for sloppy joes and tuna salad for dinner. A great family day!!! Yesterday Jason and I went and saw the Hangover 2 and then spent the rest of the day at home and today will be another homebody type of day. Watching some tv-shows-on-dvd and laying low.

Tomorrow I have a 2 hour orientation at work and then hopefully will be trained in on the rest of my job duties. With any luck by next week I'll be a "regular" employee and will feel like I can get into the flow of things a little better and establish a routine. I'm lookingn forward to that. Plus, this week starts the Stanly Cup finals, so look for a post from Blump and Fred later about their thoughts on that.
Have a great Tuesday and hopefully I'll have time to post some pics of our fun weekend later.

Laura

Storms, Protection and Promise

2011-05-23T06:45:00.000-07:00

Wow was it a bumpy weekend in Minnesota! Severe weather and tornadoes everywhere apparently. Although somehow I managed to avoid all of it. We walked in the rain and wind a bit on Saturday night, but nothing major. And on Sunday we were down at the MN Zoo in Apple Valley when my mom called to tell me there were sirens a plenty up near home. We encountered nothing more than rain and a little thunder and lightning.

So when I woke up this morning to hear that 24 people were killed in Missouri by storms and then to see the pictures on www.kstp.com of the devestation right here at home, I was hit hard. Places like NE Minneapolis and Fridley were really hit by the storms, trees uprooted and roofs torn off houses and cars wrapped up in fallen trees. But then I saw pictures of the Anoka County airport in Blaine and pictures of a downed tree and a giant chunk of debris in a yard in Coon Rapids. And after that a picture of what can only be described as a forming tornado coming out of the clouds taken also in Blaine. And it stopped me cold for a moment. I knew the storms were nearby and that we had been lucky, but now that I realize just how close they were to our home and so many of our families' homes, it shook me a little. We were spared in a very real way yesterday. And coming to the end of those photos, someone had sent in a picture of a beautiful rainbow. And I was reminded that I shouldn't be surprised when God protects me like this. After all, that rainbow is the greatest reminder we have of His promises to us.

So while I know that next time I might not be so lucky and it might be us who get harmed or destroyed by the storm, I know because of that rainbow that my hope is in God and that He is in control no matter what. Makes things like tornadoes a lot less scary, huh?! :)

I will be praying today and in the days ahead for those affected by these storms, especially the families that lost loved ones down south. And also for the one life lost here in Minnesota. I think we all remember the devastating tornado that cost lives and destroyed so many homes in Hugo a couple years back. And of course I remember stories of the Fridley tornado in 1965 that my parents and grandparents have told me. We're not strangers to this type of weather up here. But pay attention Christians. See what is going on in the world. Tornadoes, earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes. Just another sign that we are indeed living in the end times. And another reminder to all of us to be watching and ready at all times. He is coming soon!

Laura

Good Reading

2011-05-19T08:48:00.000-07:00

For those who don't know, I'm an avid reader. Currently I have over 80 books sitting on my book shelf that I am in the process of reading. We discovered an annual sale at the fairgrounds this past October that Half Priced Books does and everything is $3 or less. The paperbacks are only $1! So we filled up.

Of course, my favorites are mystery books. I love John Sanford, Lee Child, Michael Connelly to name a few. I have a couple of new authors coming up too in Chuck Logan, Tami Hoag and Patricia Cornwell. I also have a fair share of true crime books by Ann Rule. Just can't get enough murder and mayhem I guess. ;)

But what I wanted to share today were a couple of non-fiction books that I have been throwing in the mix that I have really enjoyed.

1. Inside the Revolution by Joel Rosenberg. I started reading Rosenbergs fiction books about the end times and they were so intriguing that I just had to pick this one up when I saw it. It is basically a three-part book on Islam and it's influence in today's world. The first part of the book focuses on the radicals. The ones responsible for the 9/11 attacks and those who believe that those who are not muslim should be put to death. Their belief is that "Islam is the answer and jihad is the way." The second part focuses on the reformers. Those who believe that "Isam is the answer, but jihad is not the way". They believe in religious freedom as Christians do. They believe that we should be free to worship as we choose, however they do believe that those who are not muslim will go to hell just as we believe those who do not know Christ will. These are the people who were saddened by 9/11 and who want us to know Islam as a peaceful religion. The third and final part speak of the revivalists. These are the people who believe that "Jesus is the answer and Jesus is the only Way". They are former muslims who have come to faith in Christ and are risking their lives to bring others. The stories in this book are truly amazing. God is working in incredible miraculous ways in the Muslim world to bring people to Him. It was also very enlightening to me. What we hear in America is how peaceful Islam is, but this book shows that that is only one side of the religion. I think this is a must-read for anyone who truly wants to understand this fast-growing religious movement.

2. The Body by Charles Colson: This was my most recent read and it completely blew my mind. It basically discusses the state of the church. It was written several years ago, so some of the news stories and specifics are out of date, but the ideas remain the same. This book covers everything from the persecution the early church faced all the way through the Nazi regime and other historical atrocities and up to today. The main focus is on how we as members of the "church" should be treating those in our communities, how we should be showing God's love to the world and how we should not be getting caught up in politics and unimportant trivialities but rather stick to His Word. This book was so pertinent to today's church.....it made me sad and angry but at the same time it challenged me to be a better member of Christ's community.

3. The No "S" Diet: Thought I'd throw one non-christian book in the mix. Though I'm not following this diet currently, I happened to pick it up at the library and think it is worth a read for anyone struggling with weight loss. It's tenets are pretty simple: No Snacks, Sweets or Seconds except on days that begin with an S. S days are Saturdays and Sundays and any "special" days such as birthdays or holidays. It describes a very simple, no calorie or point counting way to lose some weight. For me, I feel like I need a little more structure to get things going, but this No "S" diet is where I hope to find myself once I reach my goal. I think it's a very sensible way to pattern your eating without making it too difficult to follow.

That's it for now. I'm starting a new book today called Transforming Prayer that I will tell you about when I'm finished. It's always exciting to study a new book. OH! I almost forgot to tell you about the absolutely most interesting book that I've been reading lately. You may have heard of it, it's called the Bible. :) I'm studying 1 Chronicles on my own right now and we are studying the kings of Israel and Judah with Ariel and family, so they kind of go hand in hand. Honestly, I had no idea the Bible could be this fascinating! I see know that I must have read it with the wrong attitude in the past, because this time I am riveted. Especially seeing how many chances God gave Israel and how they continually disobeyed. Sound like us today possibly? I think so. So fascinating.

Hope you enjoyed my little book reviews. I have so many more to read and I can't wait to share them all with you. I know many of you are not readers or at least not the reader that I am, but these would definitely be worth checking into if you ever feel the yen to start reading.

Happy Thursday!
Laura

Happy Hump Day!

2011-05-18T09:06:00.000-07:00

Happy Hump Day Everyone! I always thought that was a funny saying when I was young, but when you join the full-time workforce it sure becomes true doesn't it?! And now that I'm so close to rejoining that workforce, it will be true again. Except of course that Thursday will be my "hump day" since I will work Tuesday - Saturday. :)

Anyway, just wanted to pop in and say hi and hope everyone is having a fantastic week! I'm hoping to get up a post before the end of the week about some of the things I have been reading lately. A few really good books that I want to share. Until then, Happy Hump Day!

A Startling But Welcome Revelation

2011-05-16T08:55:00.000-07:00

Good morning all! I'm starting out this week, this final week of freedom before I start my new job, with a startling but welcome revelation. It's very personal and I debated whether or not to share it on my blog, but then I realized that my entire support system reads this blog, so what better place to share?

As most of you know, I have struggled for over 10 years now with my weight. I have ridden the rollercoaster of every weight-loss program out there and finally settled on Weight Watchers because I have the most success with them. The past 5 months, I have done better than every before in my life at sticking to a plan and having some success - more than 10 pounds lost. I'm grateful for that. However, over the last couple of weeks and especially this past weekend, I have somewhat fallen off the train. It's been different than before in that I never completely gave up, I just allowed myself to slide down the slippery slope. It came to a head this weekend when I was sick to the point of almost vomitting Friday night into Saturday and I knew exactly why. I had eaten WAY too much. Because I have been more successful this time, my body is getting trained and the amount of food I ate this weekend put it over the edge.

After thinking about this yesterday and doing some research this morning and talking with Jason I have come to my startling revelation. I have an eating disorder. There, I said it. It's not one of the eating disorders people talk about a lot like anorexia or bulemia, but it is an eating disorder nonetheless. It is called simply...overeating. The technical names are "compulsive overeating" or "food addiction". Here is the Wikipedia definition:

Compulsive overeating, also called food addiction, is characterized by an obsessive/compulsive relationship to food. Professionals address this with either a behavior modification model or a food addiction model. An individual suffering from compulsive overeating disorder engages in frequent episodes of uncontrolled eating, or binge eating during which they may feel frenzied or out of control, often consuming food past the point of being comfortably full. Binging in this way is generally followed by feelings of guilt and/or depression. Compulsive overeaters will typically eat when they are not hungry. Their obsession is demonstrated in that they spend excessive amounts of time and thought devoted to food, and secretly plan or fantasize about eating alone. Compulsive overeating usually leads to weight gain and obesity but not everyone who is obese is also a compulsive overeater. In addition to binge eating, compulsive overeaters can also engage in grazing behavior, during which they return to pick at food throughout the day.

The above paragraph describes pretty perfectly what is going on with me. The grazing fits most, and eating well past comfortably full. The binges happen but not as often anymore. So why am I calling this starting and welcome? Well, I know startling seems odd since I've had this problem forever. I knew these things were going on, I guess I just didn't realize it was an actual eating disorder. Welcome? Well, it's welcome because I feel like now that I finally realize that this is actually a sickness, I can begin treating it in the way I should have been all along. See, Weight Watchers is still, I believe, one of the best programs out there and I plan to use it in conjunction with some other things. However, even Weight Watchers doesn't deal with the illness itself...the habits and the behavior part of things. It helps me figure out what I should be eating, but it doesn't undo years of bad habits.

Today is my new start. I'm starting over on my journey with a new knowledge that I have an actual disorder (or disease, really) that I need to overcome. Just like anyone with an addiction, be it alcohol, drugs or anything else, I'm addicted to food. It has taken over my life. There are 3 steps that I am taking TODAY to get a handle on this and I will need all of your help.

1. I need my support group. I believe the number one thing that is going to get me finally past this once and for all is prayer. I know that I have a family who loves me and prays for me every day and believe me....you guys are the reason I haven't given up and the reason that I have managed to gain only 2 pounds in the last couple of very bad weeks and still continue to write down what I eat and track points, even when they are way over. This is a significant improvement over past "failures". The encouraging e-mails and the prayers are keeping me motivated.

2. I am re-joining a group called Spark People. They are a free weight-loss website that includes tips and a message board where I can talk with others who are facing similar challenges. A different kind of support group that includes people who have as much weight to lose as I do and even has a special section for people who suffer from compulsive overeating. I will track my progress and share with others how I'm doing through that site.

3. I'm setting some ground rules today that I feel are the first steps in overcoming this disorder. Just like an alcoholic has their 12 step program, these are my first steps.
**Exercise every day is no longer an option.
**No snacking after dinner and only planned snacks during the day.
**Three meals a day, no exceptions.
**Allowance Points to be used ONLY on healthy snack options, not for candy or junk.
**Every day I will post on my twitter (on the side of this blog) what I eat, what exercise I get and where I fall in my points target. That way I keep accountable.
**The following are no longer a part of my eating: McDonalds (except salad), Taco Johns, Pizza (except frozen at home), Slim Jims. These are my 4 biggest weaknesses and my biggest triggers for binge eating. They have to go. Hopefully not forever, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

I was thinking about my State Fair goal and how there is virtually no way I will reach it now. I struggled with whether or not I should change it and I decided to amend it a little, but not in the way I wanted to. I wanted to just forget about it and enjoy the fair no matter what. But I see now that I can't do that. So here's my new goal: Beginning today, I will follow my above guidelines to a tee, participate in Spark People, and follow Weight Watchers 100%, NO slip-ups until the state fair. If I slip-up even once on any point, we're back to counting points at the fair. If I make my goal, I will enjoy my time at the fair and eat a few treats, but I will keep track of what I'm eating, share everything with Jason rather than having my own and do it VERY light this year. Perhaps allowing myself 4 or 5 treats during each day we go rather than the usual 10 or 12 and sticking more to the "real food" items like corn dogs, corn-on-the-cob and turkey sandwiches and not so many of the junk items.

Here's to a new beginning. Not a do-over really, just a continuation with improvement. The cliche line is "Today is the first day of the rest of your life". It feels very true to me today. Because I am starting with a new realization that I'm not just overweight or obese, I'm sick. And now that I know what it is and how to treat it, I feel like I can conquer the world. Thanks for listening to my long, over-drawn ramblings and thank you for your support. I feel your prayers, I genuinely do. They are what keeps me going. This has been a life-long struggle for me (adult life-long, that is) and I'm ready to beat it.

To God be the glory!
Laura

Conference Finals

2011-05-14T17:08:00.000-07:00

Here we go......the Conference Finals begins tonight! Blump and I wanted to get our picks down before the first game starts.

Blump's Picks:

Vancouver Canucks vs. San Jose Sharks:
Blump Picks: Vancouver
Blump Roots For: San Jose

Boston Bruins vs. Tampa Bay Lightning:
Blump Picks: Boston
Blump Roots For: Boston

Not a lot to say here, except that these were tough picks. Really, any of these teams could take the Cup when all is said and done, but I felt like I had to go with Vancouver. It just seems to be their year. Although after watching the series between the Wings and the Sharks, it really could go either way. As for Boston and Tampa, I think it will come down to which goaltender has the better series. After having the best save percentage in NHL history and his second Vezina nomination, I'm going with Thomas to beat Roloson and finally get his team to the Finals.

Fred's Picks:

Vancouver Canucks vs. San Jose Sharks:
Fred Picks: San Jose
Fred Roots For: San Jose

Boston Bruins vs. Tampa Bay Lightning:
Fred Picks: Boston
Fred Roots For: Boston

Going with the much younger goaltender in the Boston/Tampa series, the 37 year old Tim Thomas. ;) Sharks seem hungry this year (no pun intended), they seem like they have the urge to win.

Game 1 between the Bruins/Lightning starts in about 5 minutes...we'll see who comes out on top!

Scrapbooking

2011-05-13T12:06:00.000-07:00

I spent the last two days finishing up my scrapbooking for the year 2010. It was so much fun getting my creative juices flowing and remembering the past year as I found a way to make it look fun and creative on the pages. After I was done with 2010, I started at the beginning and worked my way through from 1996 - 2010. It was a fun trip down memory lane and it got me thinking about why I scrapbook in the first place. I suppose it is the same reason that people keep photo albums, but scrapbooking is even more personal for me. It is a way to preserve the memories of the incredible life that Jason and I have had since the day we met. Working on these scrapbooks gives me a chance to relive some of those memories and put them together in a way that others can enjoy them after we are gone.

I feel very strongly about my reasons for scrapbooking. While I know that this world and this life are fleeting and temporary, and that my real life will begin in heaven with my Father, I also believe that He has given me my life on earth as a gift and that He wants me to enjoy it and to cherish the memories I create here. At least the memories that I have while living under His Will. Every day is a gift and I think too often we take that gift for granted. We forget that every moment is precious and that we are only promised a few of those moments.

The cover of our first book. Our engagement picture.

The 3 books that cover our lives from 1996 to today.

Examples of a few of the pages I have done - our wedding.

More pages.

The whole process of getting these books put together reminds me of the people that are in my life, those who have already left this world and those who are still here. And it reminds me that I need to make sure that every one of these people needs to know how much I love them...because I never know when my last chance will be to say so. It's a great reminder to say what we feel and not be petty, jealous or allow fear, insecurities or anything else stand in the way of telling those we love how much they mean to us.

My main hope is that these scrapbooks will be a way for the people that live on after me to get a glimpse into the amazing life that I led. No I'm not famous, fancy or special in any way. I'm not rich, didn't accomplish anything world-changing. I have lived a very simple, comfortable, happy life. A life filled with family, friends and a relationship with my Savior. And to me, that has been amazing. I can only hope that the rest of my life is amazing in this same way. I have been truly blessed.

Thy Will, Not Mine

2011-05-09T10:24:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday all!

As I start a new week, I am finding myself contemplating the direction my life is going and the direction I hope it will go. Today is the first day of a two-week "vacation" of sorts. Because on May 24th, I begin a new job. A totally different direction in my life from the past five months. A part of me is absolutely ecstatic that I no longer have to apply for every job I find online; no longer have to make sure my resume looks good and that I have copies printed out for interviews; no longer have to stress about the weeks when there is nothing promising out there. Praise God for those things! But the other part of me is thinking...no! not yet! I am enjoying having every day to myself to do as I please.

So today I am shifting my focus. I want to focus on God's Will for my life, not my own. I don't believe in accidents or coincidences. I believe that God has a hand in everything that happens in our lives. He is either the one causing something to happen or the one allowing something to happen. He is in control. And I'm so thankful for that, even when it means I have to give up my own plans for my life and do something I may not be thrilled about. So I am going to spend the next two weeks enjoying my time off, keeping in His Word and getting my home life organized and ready for this new stage. I pray that He would be glorified in these two weeks as well as in the work I will be doing at my new job.

The other area of my life that I have been focusing entirely too much on "my will" is my weight loss. I am down another pound this week, and am thrilled about that, but I've been doing it my way rather than talking to God and I'm seeing the consequences of that. Instead of losing ten pounds in the past month like I could have, I'm only down two. My state fair goal is in serious jeopardy and I've been trying to figure out why. The answer is so simple and right there in front of me. When I make a change in my diet or workout plan or when I decided to cheat a little, I just go ahead with it without talking to God and without asking Him for guidance and willpower. No wonder I'm facing failure in this endeavor!

So this week is going to have a new motto: Thy Will, Not Mine. I am bringing my weight loss, my new job situation, my two remaining weeks off and laying all of that at the foot of the cross. I'm going to let God be my guide. I know that He has amazing things in store for me. I believe that this job is going to be great and I believe that I will make my state fair weight loss goal, but I also believe that those are MY plans, so I'm willing to step aside if need be and make sure that my plans are in line with His. Only then will I experience the fullness of the life He has for me.

Here's to a fantastic week! Looks like the weather will be nice and warm, and hopefully the clouds and rain will be minimal, short and during the nighttime so we can enjoy this great weather and spend some time outdoors. Happy Monday!!

Laura

Changes Big and Small

2011-05-06T12:33:00.000-07:00

My life is changing. One change is big and one is small. I'll start small. After forgetting to weigh myself yesterday I hopped on the scale this morning and was down another pound. After seeing that and jumping up and down :D, I decided that I will be changing my weigh-in day to Mondays. That is the best day to make sure I don't forget again. So maybe I'll even be down more than that pound by Monday. Wouldn't that be nice?! So that's my small change. Monday weigh-ins starting this coming week.

My big change? I am - drumroll please - no longer unemployed!!!! The job is a data entry position at a company called Medtox in Roseville. It appears to be exactly the job I have been looking for - literally since I graduated college. A straight-forward data entry job. The only downside is that the hours are Tuesday - Saturday, so I will lose a part of my weekend, but it's a worthwhile trade off to have work. The past 5 months have been trying to say the least. Yes, it has been nice to have nothing to do and to be able to relax and go shopping and all of that, but it's been stressful knowing that ultimately I was going to need to find something. This is not the greatest climate for looking for work.

What I've learned from all of this is that God is so faithful! I, of course already knew that, but when you see it played out in your life it makes it so much more real and evident. I am so thankful for all of the prayers and encouragement that I have received from friends and family and so grateful that God has put this opportunity in front of me.

Now the plan is to figure out what I want to get done in my final two weeks before I'm back in the working world. Scrapbooking for sure, and probably some cross-stitch and plenty of reading. I'm going to enjoy these two weeks and get myself prepared to get back to a routine and a schedule.

Laura

Bowling

2011-05-03T15:09:00.000-07:00

It's been ages since I've been bowling. I mean years and years. And to make matters worst, the best I had ever bowled was a 50. No, that is not a typo....it's true...50. This past weekend when we spent Easter with family up in Michigan, Jason and I ended up going bowling with our neice and her fiancee. I did terribly, but it was so much fun and great upper-body exercise. So we decided to venture out for buck-a-ball games on Saturday morning at Brunswick on Hwy 65.

I actually was pretty happy with myself. My first and last games were 65 and 66, so higher than I normally do but still embarrassing. However my middle game was a 116 so I was jumping up and down proud of that one! That is phenomenal for me. I know, laugh all you want, but it was good for me. :D I thought I'd share a few pics we took of our day out. Enjoy!

Rambling, Rambling

2011-05-03T07:37:00.000-07:00

Good morning. This morning I just felt the need to ramble a little bit, so bear with me. :)

It's finally sunny out and as odd as that is for me (who loves gloom and rain generally), it is giving me motivation like I haven't had in a long time. I'm actually contemplating going for a walk today to the library and back. For anyone who knows the area, I'm talking about the library branch over near Northtown. From our house, it's quite a trek. But I think I can do it and I have books that need returning, so we'll see.

My weight loss journey has been an immense struggle for me lately. For some reason I have allowed myself to indulge more and more the past few weeks and I can see myself slipping. Luckily, I ended the slide and am on my way back up the ladder, so this walk will be a great kick start.

Of course I've also been thinking a lot recently about the capturing of Osama Bin Laden. Who hasn't after hearing the news of his capture and death? While I am immensely happy that this man is no longer a threat and that justice has been served for the families of his victims, I'm left wondering how I should approach this as a Christian. I don't believe that God EVER takes pleasure in the death of a human being, especially one who did not know him. Bin Laden is in hell today and I believe that makes God very, very sad and should cause us to feel the same way. So while I'm glad he isn't among us anymore, I feel that it is a tragedy that a soul left this earth without going to heaven. Christ died for him too, no matter what we think about who he was or what he did.

I'm struggling with all of the praise that is going to our president also. Yes, I understand that he played a role in the planning process and giving the okay for the operation that ultimately caught the man, but I think the majority of the praise should go to the men and women of the armed forces who were actually over there doing the difficult, dangerous work of catching him. Noone is talking about them on any news channel I've seen so far. It's frustrating to say the least.

But on to happier topics. God is doing great things in my life and heart today. Yesterday I was feeling pretty down about my fruitless job search and my slide into failure on the weight loss front. I asked for prayer and obviously the prayer warriors were out!! :):) This morning I am up with a new feeling that all is going to be worked out for His glory!! I'm getting ready to have some breakfast, so for my nice long walk and spend my day thanking Him for all of His gifts. I'm still not sure what will happen on the job front, but shortly after posting on Facebook that I was having a hard time, I was given a comment from a friend that a certain company has a lot of openings. I looked and, sure enough, applied for a couple of open positions. God at work!

I hope you all have a great day today. I will be posting some fun pictures of my bowling adventure with Jason this past weekend and look for a post soon with my thoughts on how we are surely living in the end times.

LAURA

Fred's Round Two Picks

2011-04-28T15:10:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! Fred here ready to join in with my buddy Blump and give you my Round 2 Stanley Cup Playoff predictions. I did pretty well in Round 1, so here goes nothing:

Western Conference

Vancouver Canucks vs. Nashville Predators

Fred's Pick: Vancouver in 7

Fred Roots For: Nashville

San Jose Sharks vs. Detroit Red Wings

Fred's Pick: Detroit in 6

Fred Roots For: Detroit

Eastern Conference

Washington Capitals vs. Tampa Bay Lightning

Fred's Pick: Washington in 6

Fred Roots For: Washington

Philadelphia Flyers vs. Boston Bruins

Fred's Pick: Philadelphia in 6

Fred Roots For: Boston

As much as I would love to see the Preds move on to the conference finals, I think Vancouver simply has too much talent and the Preds have too little offense. Detroit was a no-brainer. They are coming off a much needed rest and they looked phenomenal against the Coyotes. They will be extremely hard to beat.

While I will be rooting my little brown behind off for the Boston Bruins, offense is lacking for them as well and I just don't think they can keep up with a speedy Philadelphia team. Washington...well, I think this just might be their year. I like the defensive style play we have seen from them this year as well. Of course, regardless of who wins, it's still the best season for a hockey fan. Let Round 2 begin!

2011-04-28T13:50:00.000-07:00

Hello all! It's Blump again, with my Round 2 predictions for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Fred and I were reviewing our picks for the last round and, if I do say so myself, we were awesome! The only one we totally missed was Nashville. So here are my picks for Round 2:

Western Conference

Vancouver Canucks vs. Nashville Predators

Blump's Pick: Vancouver in 6

Blump Roots For: Vancouver

San Jose Sharks vs. Detroit Red Wings

Blump's Pick: Detroit in 7

Blump Roots For: Detroit

Eastern Conference

Washington Capitals vs. Tampa Bay Lightning

Blump's Pick: Washington in 7

Blump Roots For: Washington

Philadelphia Flyers vs. Boston Bruins

Blump's Pick: Philadelphia in 6

Blump Roots For: Boston

I had gone into this post-season believing that the Canucks were going to take the Cup this year, no matter what. I'm not completely convinced of that anymore after watching how amazing Detroit was in their series against Phoenix. But for this round...definitely the Canucks. The Preds looked good against Anaheim and their goaltending is sound, but if Luongo is on his game he is basically unbeatable. That is the question....will Luongo be on his game? As for San Jose/Detroit, that was a toughie. I have always loved the Wings, so had to go with them, but I certainly don't think it will be a cakewalk like the Coyotes were. I'm actually really looking forward to this series. I anticipate it will be pretty fast and fun to watch.

The East is a little tougher to call. Washington is by far the better team in that series, but my old nemesis Dwayne Roloson has been playing like he's 21 rather than 41. Of course he still has his "dive-like-a-girl drama queen" act down to a science, but his play last night was truly something to behold, especially for a goalie fiend like myself. That will be the one thing that Washington will have to watch out for and the reason I think the series will go on for awhile. Ah, Philly/Boston. For a Bruins fan (2nd only to my beloved Wild), I have already had nightmares about this series. For those who don't remember, last year the Bruins were up 3 games to 0 and then up 3-0 in game 7 but STILL managed to lose to Philly. Argh! This year Philly is a much better team than Boston. It will again come down to goaltending. Thomas is one of my favorites, but he seems to develop playoff-itis this time every year so I am worried. I wouldn't mind a bit if they pulled out Rask at some point if it looks like the series could slip away. But I'm still thinking Philly will be victorious.

Well, that's all from me. Can't wait for the games to begin tonight! Fred will be posting later this afternoon with his picks as well. BRING ON THE HOCKEY!

Weight Loss Update

2011-04-28T08:52:00.000-07:00

I know, I know. It's been awhile since my last update. I also know that slacking on the updates has been a big part of my problem with losing lately. But that is all water under the bridge. Last week was a good one. Aside from a few minor slips over the Easter weekend, I got my water in and did a lot of walking and today...drumroll please....down another pound. :) I'm now at 241.5 and have 11.5 pounds to go to my next goal of 230. I have a date set for that goal of 5/30, so I will need to get my fanny in gear this week. Time to break back out the Michael Jackson Wii game, the WiiFit Plus and the Biggest Loser dvd to supplement my daily walks. Especially if this less-than-pleasant weather continues.

I want to give a shout out to my sister Molly who has been an incredible encouragement to me this past couple of weeks in my journey. It was because of a particularly encouraging e-mail that I brought along my Weight Watchers material this weekend to Michigan and stuck about 90% to my plan rather than falling completely off the wagon. Thank you!!!

My new week is off to a great start. A banana, english muffin bread toasted with grape jelly and a SoBe lifewater for breakfast - 6 points. I actually lost a point with my weigh-in today, so I'm down to 35 a day now. That will be an adjustment. But thankfully I have a plan in place a wonderful support system around me. After almost 15 years of struggling with my weight, I am FINALLY going to get healthy! Here's to meeting goal by 35!

LAURA

Monday Mumblings

2011-04-25T08:40:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday All!

I'm starting out this week with a really great, fresh perspective. Jesus is alive!!! Now I know that this has been true every Monday morning of my life, but in the past I have made sure to celebrate the fact only on Easter weekend and then conveniently "forget" about it the rest of the year. Not this year. I want this fact to change me.

And to that end, I'm going to get my proverbial house in order. Since I've been out of work, I've been doing a lot of organizing of my life. I've been working on my cross-stitch, scrapbooking, weight loss journals and plans, thinking about plans for the garden out front and work on the house and other things. There is nothing wrong with any of those things, but what I really want to work on is me. The part of me that matters. My spiritual life, my relationship with God, my attitudes and the way I behave and treat others, etc.

I'm still trudging through 1 Chronicles and I must admit, it's more interesting than I expected it to be. We as a people have such an amazing history and I've never learned more than in the past couple of months. I want to really dive in full-on and continue that study. I'm reading the Daily Bread on my e-mail each day and that is a blessing too. What I want to add to all of that is some solid prayer-praise time every day. Right now with my lenient schedule, I tend to want to sleep in and do it later in the day, but the reality is that I will get a job someday. So I'm going to try to get out of bed at an earlier time each morning and set aside at least 1/2 hour to an hour of time just for me and Him.

My really big issue right now is my attitude and the way I approach others, especially when I disagree. I find myself disposing of people and/or things I disagree with rather than facing them. There are a couple of people in my life (some in person, some through blogs or fb) that I disagree with to the point where I actually believe they are leading others astray with some of their remarks/comments/opinions. But rather than confront these people or even have a conversation or an exchange of ideas, I either cut them out of my life or do my best to avoid them. Could there be a worse way to deal with people? I'm pretty sure there is not. The last thing God wants me to do is cut people out of my life in any way!!! What if those people need Him and I am the way He provided??!!! But instead I worry about how they are affecting me? Not only is that selfish, but it is against eveything the Bible says about how we should treat others. Alas, this is a lesson that is going to take me awhile to learn, I'm afraid. Stubborn one that I am. :)

So today I'm going to start working on me. First of all, I'm going to remember every single day the sacrifice that Christ made on the cross and the gift of eternal life that comes from His resurrection. I don't see how I can live an unchanged life if I start every day talking to Him and remembering what He did for me. Second, I'm going to worry more about the things that matter than the things that don't. More time working on whether or not others see Christ in me and less time worrying about having projects done around the house. More time making sure I am giving of time, talents and money to His service and less time worrying about whether or not I have nice clothes or my favorite tv shows on dvd. More time on Him, less time on me.

I've decided to set a new goal for myself. Those of you who follow my blog have read some of my weight loss goals. Well, my ultimate goal on that front is to be at my goal weight by my 35th birthday (4/17/12). I've decided that day is as good a day as any for my new goal. I would like to say on my 35th birthday that I have made time for Him in my day (minimum of 30 minutes) every single day beginning today. That would make 358 days total. I believe that the testimony I will be able to give on that day after 358 days of time with Him will be incredible. My life will undoubtedly be changed for the better, regardless of what else might happen during that time. Stay tuned!

Have a wonderful week my family and friends! And don't forget how much Jesus loves you!

Laura

A Love Like No Other

2011-04-20T15:29:00.000-07:00

I am sitting in my room, watching The Passion of the Christ. I'm sure many of you have seen this movie. I myself have seen it several times now. Before this film came out, my knowledge of the Easter story, especially the crucifixion itself, was very flowery compared to the real thing. I knew that Christ was beaten, abused, spit on and ultimately died on a cross, but I had NO idea just what that looked like. For all of his flaws, the one thing Mel Gibson did 100% right is produce this film. It is gruesome and violent and downright horrible, but it shows us exactly what Christ went through for us. In a way I could never have imagined.

There is one element in this story that gets me more than anything else. And that is the depth of the love Jesus Christ has for all of humanity. As the soldiers are beating Him and laughing and spitting in His face in a way that shows us just how truly evil humans are capable of becoming, all I can think is....DO SOMETHING! How can anyone be so incredibly cruel?! The mocking and laughter continues...they beat Him to within an inch of His life and then they put a painful crown of thorns on His head and dress Him in kingly robes and mock Him some more.

Just when you think there is no way it could get any worse, they nail Him to a cross and watch Him die. Now for the amazing part: As all of this is happening to Him, He is feeling nothing but love for every one of those people who are so gleefully participating in His execution. That is so hard for me to understand. I can understand love, and I can understand the desire of God for all of His creation to know Him and to spend eternity with Him. I can even understand His willingness to die for us. But what I cannot understand is how He can look at the people who are doing this unspeakable thing to Him and feel nothing but love, compassion and a profound desire for each of them to be saved.

And when He is being stretched out and nailed on the cross, arms disjointed and blood running down His hands, He cried out "Father, forgive them". This is love that no human can understand. A love that can instantly forgive those who could do such a thing. A love that can plead for their very lives and souls while they pound nails into His hands and feet.

When I think that all of this....everything He went through leading up to and on that cross.....was to save me - it is almost too much to bear. I put Him up there..Me....My sins. He did that for Me. It makes me literally sick to my stomach to think that I spend even one moment living for myself after the sacrifice He made to save me.

When He calls out "My God, My God, Why have You forsaken Me?", we understand how ugly our sin truly is. God literally could not look upon His Son as He was carrying the weight of our sins...literally became our sins. Just think about that for one moment.

But after watching this horrific scene unfold and feeling so angry and so helpless and so responsible.....we get to the true meaning behind it all. The Lord cries out "It is finished", the veil is torn in two and our Savior is buried. All is quiet and you hear drums start pounding in the background. The music gets louder and louder and we see Jesus stand up, shed His robes and rise to take His rightful place beside His Father in Heaven. What a glorious day!!!! What am amazing, miraculous, eternal-life-giving day!!!

I will never understand why God did it this way. Why Jesus had to suffer such a humiliating, painful, unthinkable death to save us. Why God didn't find an easier, more gentle way. But that is not for me to understand. All I need to know is that He did it for me. And for you. And for everyone who has ever and will ever live. So that we can gain entrance to Heaven one day and spend eternity with our Creator and Lord. And that knowledge should forever change the way I live my life. How can I spend even one moment living for myself...doing what I want rather than what He wants? How can I allow even one person to pass through my life without telling them about this amazing gift? He was willing to die for them....why am I not willing to tell them what He did?

This weekend, as we are celebrating Good Friday and Easter with our family and friends and our fellow church members, let us not forget for one second what He did on that cross. And more importantly, what He did three days later. He is not dead. He is alive and sitting at the right hand of His Father in Heaven, preparing a place for us. Let us live our lives in this knowledge. Satan was defeated on that day. He has no power over us. We are children of the LIVING God and should live our lives accordingly. Let us tell the world what He has done for us.

HE IS RISEN!
HE IS ALIVE!
And one day I will get to meet Him face to face and spend an eternity in a paradise that I don't deserve....all because of Him.

Laura

Monday Ramblings

2011-04-18T08:30:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday All! I'm doing a little bit of a fly-by today since I have a full agenda ahead. Jason helped me move some furniture around in the bedroom (yes, I have a problem that involves the need to rearrange at least once a year - heehee) and now I'm cleaning up the aftermath. I have a bookshelf to organize, owls to reconfigure on the shelves and a lot of dusting and cleaning to do. Plus a bathroom to clean - yuck! Suffice it to say, it will be a busy day.
But I did want to visit my blog and just touch on one subject that has been bugging me a little lately. It seems like everywhere I look, particularly on television, radio and blogs, but also in real-life, I'm hearing about the "power of positive thinking." People are constantly using phrases like "do what makes you feel good" or "follow your dreams" or "if you can dream it you can do it". And this is not a secular concept alone. Christians are repeating these mantras too.
Now before you bop me on the head for being crazy, let me explain. I don't have a problem with most of these things in and of themselves. I like an attitude of possitivity over negativity (are those words??), but I question the one thing we are forgetting. The ends of these sentences.
Shouldn't they be:

Do what makes you feel good......about living your life for the Lord?

Follow your dreams.......after seeking God's counsel and ensuring that they are also His dreams?

If you can dream it, you can do it.....as long as you have the Lord's blessing and are doing His will?

I think those phrases sound more appropriate for Christians when doing the whole "positive thinking" thing. Now I know that there are plenty of people out there who are part of this movement that DO stop and think about what the Lord wants in their lives. I just wish we would say it more often. We are in the shadows...so afraid to admit out loud how important God's Will is.
One of the things I hate hearing the most is "God wants me to be happy." That's another unfinished phrase. It should be.......God wants me to be happy......in Him. I've argued this with many people during my life, and the argument I find most effective is this: If God was concerned only about your earthly happiness, then there would be nothing in the Bible discouraging pre or extra-marital sex, idol-worship, drunkenness, squandering of money, gluttony, lust or any host of other things along those lines. Because in a strictly earthly sense, those things DO make some people very very happy. Yet God tells us in no uncertain terms that those things are NOT okay....they are sins. So if God really wanted you to be happy here on this earth in an earthly form of happiness, he wouldn't have put all of those rules in place. So I DO believe God wants us to be happy.......but He wants that happiness to be in Him.
This is just really touching on the subject..I could go on for days, but I wanted to get a little of my thoughts out there.
I hope you all have a fantastic Monday!! I'm going to get started with my cleaning, cleaning, cleaning now! Laura

Do-Over

2011-04-14T08:01:00.000-07:00

Today is a major do-over for me. I am actually going to admit out loud that I have failed utterly and completely and my weight loss plan for the past 2 and maybe even 3weeks. There, I said it. So imagine my surprise and the huge "Praise the Lord!" that came out of my mouth when I stepped on the scale this morning and found it still sitting at 242.5. No loss, but no gain either. Amen!!!!

So I'm going to take this blessing and use it to His glory rather than take it for granted. Today I have a fresh new journal out and I'm starting a new Weight Watchers week. I started my morning with a SmartOnes ham and cheese scrambler for 5 points and a nice glass of water. Water and exercise are going to be key in my fresh start. These are the two things I have had the most trouble being consistent with. In addition to snacks. If you read my blog a couple of weeks ago, I was trying a new "No-S" diet (no snacks, sweets or seconds except on days that start with S). It's a great plan and I will incorporate it into my daily life eventually, but I found that until I get closer to my goal weight, it doesn't provide enough structure. I'm thinking the No S plan might be better suited for my maintenance program.
Anyway, I'm feeling really good about this new start. My several week downfall has made it much more difficult to reach my state fair goal, but certainly not impossible. The weather is not going to be the best this week, but by golly unless there is a monsoon or massive lightning, I WILL be out there walking every day! I really enjoy my walks in the neighborhood with my iPod. That's one of the things I will miss the most if and when I get a job again.
Today's plans include a walk and cleaning the house. My bathroom and bedroom in particular have been majorly neglected lately, so today they are getting my full attention. I'm even looking forward to it. Honestly...what is wrong with me?! ;)

I've also become majorly addicted to a video game called Little Big Planet and it's brother Little Big Planet 2. Knowing that I want time to spend on that motivates me even more to move my butt and get my cleaning and exercise in quickly to give me time for the leisure of video game playing.
I hope everyone finds themselves doing well today. I feel all of your prayers for my success both in the job hunt and for my weight loss. I feel them every day and that is a big part of why I am able to get right back on the horse and make this program work for me. I love all of you very much and feel so blessed to have such an incredible support system. I wanted to throw a special shout-out to my sister Molly and cousin Katie for their incredible support and friendship. We are the female version of the Three Musketeers!!! :) I love you guys!!!!!!!!
Onward!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Fred's Playoff Picks

2011-04-11T16:33:00.001-07:00

Hi. My name is Fred. After my jolly good chap Blump has made his prognostications, it is now my turn.

Western Conference

Vancouver Canucks vs. Chicago Blackhawks

Fred's Pick: Vancouver in 7

Fred Roots For: Chicago

San Jose Sharks vs. Los Angeles Kings

Fred's Pick: San Jose in 6

Fred Roots For: San Jose

Detroit Red Wings vs. Phoenix Coyotes

Fred's Pick: Detroit in 7

Fred Roots For: Detroit

Anaheim Ducks vs. Nashville Predators

Fred's Pick: Anaheim in 7

Fred Roots For: Nashville

Vancouver has the edge in goaltending and offense with the bobbleheads and Kesler, but I give the playoff-savvy edge to the Hawks. Too many key injuries for the Kings for them to get by their rival Sharks. Phoenix has the much better goaltending and have shown that they can play with Detroit over the last couple of years, but Detroit is too veteran-laden and smart. While Nashville has the edge in goaltending, their lack of a scoring star will put them behind Anaheim's two scoring lines as Weber and Suter will have to play like Norris Trophy candidates for Nashville to have a chance.

Eastern Conference

Washington Capitals vs. New York Rangers

Fred's Pick: Washington in 6

Fred Roots For: Washington

Philadelphia Flyers vs. Buffalo Sabres

Fred's Pick: Philadelphia in 7

Fred Roots For: Buffalo

Boston Bruins vs. Montreal Canadiens

Fred's Pick: Boston in 5

Fred Roots For: Boston

Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Tampa Bay Lightning

Fred's Pick: Tampa in 7

Fred Roots For: Tampa

I like how Washington has changed their outlook to be less run-and-gun and more defensive-orientated. While Lundquist has been great, I think this is Washington's year for a run. The Philly Series hinges on whether Ryan Miller is healthy or not. If so, they have the decided edge in goaltending, but Philly's overall skill-level will win out in the end. Boston has this year's Vezina trophy winner and towers over the smaller Montreal club. Although this has been a heated rivalry, I think Boston will easily skate by the Canadiens. No Crosby, no Malkin.....no 2nd round. Look for the veteran-filled yet upstart Lightning to sneak by.

Either way these series go, we LOVE playoff hockey!!!! Fred

It's Playoff Time!!!!!

2011-04-11T12:17:00.000-07:00

Yes indeed, it is that time of year. I am SO excited!!!! My normal Monday update will be back next week, but for this week we have a special treat. For those who followed their blog a few years back, Fred and Blump are back!!! They are some special friends from my childhood who also happen to be world-class hockey experts and huge fans! Today they are going to give you the lineup for the 1st round of the NHL playoffs that start on Wednesday and tell you who they will be picking to win and who they will be rooting for. Blump will be starting us out.

Western Conference

Vancouver Canucks (1) vs. Chicago Blackhawks (8)

Blump's Pick: Vancouver

Blump Roots For: Vancouver

San Jose Sharks (2) vs. Los Angeles Kings (7)

Blump's Pick: San Jose

Blump Roots For: San Jose

Detroit Red Wings (3) vs. Phoenix Coyotes (6)

Blump's Pick: Detroit

Blump Roots For: Detroit

Anaheim Ducks (4) vs. Nashville Predators (5)

Blump's Pick: Anaheim

Blump Roots For: Nashville

Now to explain.....I honestly have a feeling that this might be Vancouver's year. They have a top-notch goaltender in Roberto Luongo and their back-up is no slouch either. Plus, it's their 40th anniversary so how perfect would that be? :) San Jose.....they have been in the playoffs often but never really get anywhere. I really hope this is their year to make it past the first round and really show themselves. Detroit is always a favorite of mine, plus they simply can't be put down. No matter what the critics say year after year, they continue to be amongst the leagues best. Now for my disdain over the Ducks. :( I think they are the better team and that they will end up winning the series, but I absolutely HATE them. They are the team that has knocked our beloved Wild out of the playoffs both times we made it.

Eastern Conference

Washington Capitals (1) vs. New York Rangers (8)

Blump's Pick: Washington

Blump Roots For: Washington

Philadelphia Flyers (2) vs. Buffalo Sabres (7)

Blump's Pick: Philadelphia

Blump Roots For: Philadelphia

Boston Bruins (3) vs. Montreal Canadiens (6)

Blump's Pick: Boston

Blump Roots For: Boston

Pittsburgh Penguins (4) vs. Tampa Bay Lightning (5)

Blump's Pick: Tampa Bay

Blump Roots For: Pittsburgh

This conference was tougher for me. I know people think I'm crazy for rooting for Philly, but for some reason I really like them. Washington too. Seeing that Boston has to play Montreal yet again makes me literally sick to my little barrel-shaped tummy. Montreal seems to have their number so I'm nervous but confident. As far as Pittsburgh/Tampa, I am still miffed that Tampa beat the Flames in the Cup Finals a few years back on what I firmly believe to be a bogus call. I can hold a grudge let me tell ya! :)

So that's my take on things. Fred will be on tonight to tell you what he's thinking. Can't wait for the playoffs to begin!!!!

Sunshine.....I'm Loving It!

2011-04-07T11:17:00.000-07:00

Now, for those of you who know me this may sound a little odd, but I am LOVING the sunshine this year! Yes, I am still a fan of cloudy, rainy days and thunderstorms and I do enjoy the cooler weather over the hot, hot weather, but for some reason this year I had enough of winter and am just really enjoying the sunshine. I think a major part of that is that I'm trying to lose weight and my favorite form of exercise is walking outdoors, so obviously I'm looking for nice weather for that.

Another thing I'm really looking forward to this spring/summer is spending more times outdoors. I want to do a lot of grilling, picnics and trips to the two zoos this summer. I'm not sure what is motivating me but I'm really excited about it. Of course if I do get a job in the next little while here that will put a halt to my weekday outings, but at least I will still have Saturday and Sunday to do those things.

Camping is another thing I'm really wanting to get back into. Jason and I have a tiny little 2-person test and I'm dying to get out and use that again. It's the rememberance of camping when I was a kid coming back to me, I think. We did a ton of camping as a family when I was growing up and I miss that. Plus, state parks are so cheap and it's a great way for us to do weekend trips without spending a fortune. We both really enjoy reading and we like to cook hotdogs and hamburgers on the grill and/or fire so we could have a blast just hanging around a campsite.

So I say Mr. Sunshine....welcome! I am excited to spend the days this spring/summer/fall playing in your warmth. While I will never be a fan of the 85+ temps, I am relishing the 70s and low 80s and ready for what is supposed to be a really nice Minnesota summer!

On that note, I'm off to take a walk and enjoy this beautiful day!

Everybody's Fine

2011-04-04T08:04:00.001-07:00

WARNING: THE FOLLOWING POST CONTAINS MAJOR SPOILERS FOR THE MOVIE "EVERYBODY'S FINE". DON'T READ ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW.

Okay, so this weekend Jason and I saw a movie called Everybody's Fine. It was starring Robert DeNiro as a father of 4 who had recently lost his wife. My guess is that he was probably in his late 60s or early 70s but they don't say specifically. His four children are all adults. The movie starts out with Frank (DeNiro's character)getting ready to have all four of his children over for the first time since their mother dies. He buys a new grill, bottles of wine and dinner fixings and is so excited for them to come. One by one, they all call leaving messages that they will not be able to come. Well, three of them call and they tell him that the fourth also cannot make it. So, Frank decides to get on a train and go and surprise visit each of his children. His eldest son is not home, but as he visits the other three, he can tell that they are all trying to get rid of him and lying to him about things. He eventually discovers that his eldest daughter is getting a divorce and already dating a new man, his younger son is playing the drums rather than conducting the orchestra as Frank believed and his youngest daughter is gay and has a baby. These are all things they had been hiding from their father to supposedly spare him. To shorten this story up, ultimately Frank ends up having a heart attack on his flight home and three of his children come to see him at the hospital. There they have to tell him that the eldest son has died of a drug overdose in Mexico.

Sounds like a pleasant story, doesn't it? Just when I thought it was irredeemable, the movie does end with the whole family having Christmas together with Frank at his house. The eldest daughter brings her new boyfriend, the youngest daughter brings her girlfriend and baby and everyone is finally being honest with each other.

This movie really got to me for many reasons. First of all, it pains me to see adult children brushing off their parents, especially elderly parents. I think so often we see children growing up and having their own lives and ambitions and suddenly forgetting that without their parents they wouldn't be where they are today. Obviously this isn't true of everyone, but I'm speaking of those with non-abusive, healthy family lives. As much as parents have the responsibility of caring for their children while they need them, I believe children have that same responsibility as our parents need our help. More than that, I find it so hard to imagine not caring or not wanting to be a part of your parent's lives after you grow up. To me, family is family forever. It didn't end when I moved out of the house.

Another thing that really struck me from this movie was the idea that we always wait until it's too late to tell people how much they matter to us. We are not promised tomorrow. Cancer, car accidents, old-age......the list is too long to even fathom of things that could take people from us at any moment. Now I don't say this to instill fear in anyone. That serves no purpose at all. I just say this to remind us all that life is short and fleeting. Tell the people in your life who matter how you feel every day. Don't let a fight linger. Apologize for hurts that you have caused and forgive the hurts others have caused you.

So....after probably depressing everyone with this blog, I have a happy ending....like in the movie, when the whole family was enjoying Christmas together, we will all be enjoying a meal together around the Lord's table when all the pains of this earth are finally over. What a wonderful, wonderful thought! :):):)

Monday Update

2011-04-04T07:53:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday All! :) I'm getting back to basics this week and that started out with my weekly weigh-in. This morning I'm at 242.5....that's 1/2 lb loss from 2 weeks ago, so not totally fantastic, but a loss is a loss. And this week I'm trying something new that I am really excited about. I took a trip to the public library last week to return some items and while browsing I stumbled upon a book titled The No S Diet by Reinhard Engles and Ben Kallen. The basic concept is this: No Snacks No Sweets No Seconds *Except on days that start with S What it means is no snacking in between meals, no second helpings and no sweets (not no sugar, but no dessert-type items; i.e. candy bars, donuts, ice cream) Monday through Friday. On Saturday and Sunday I can snack on sweets and have second helpings if I want, although they should still be in moderation. The other days that apply as S days are Special Occasions, including holidays and birthdays. It's a pretty basic, simple idea and I think it's going to work. For now I'm going to combine this No S diet with Weight Watchers. That way I can still keep track of how much I'm eating while following these new guidelines. With any luck, one day I can stop the points counting and follow just the "s" rules. As for a new week, I'm looking forward to it. I'm making an effort to get out of bed earlier every morning and having more time to get things done and enjoy my days. As much as our pocket book could use the money a job will provide, right now I'm focusing on being productive in the ways that I am able here at home. I have a few projects that I'm working on including cross-stitch and scrapbooking and I'm excited to have some time to work on those. I know that God will provide the right job at the right time and rather than stress about it, I'm going to use the time I have in the best ways I know how. Speaking of.....time to go request my unemployment. :) Happy Monday!!!

Fearless Friday

2011-04-01T08:11:00.000-07:00

All of my life I have played the cool customer as often as possible, allowing others to believe that very little stresses me out and that I'm an easy-going, happy person all of the time. Well, that's not true. This may come as a surprise to some - or maybe not as big of a surprise as I think. If I look back on my life, especially my time as an adult, I would say I have spent more than 50% of the time stressed out beyond reason about one thing or another. I just do a pretty good job of hiding it most of the time.

When I stop to examine these stresses, I find that they are mostly rooted in fear. One of my biggest fears surrounds the issue of paranoia. When I'm home alone, I tend to hear noises and wonder if someone is in the house. Then I feel the need to check behind every door and in every closet just to make sure. I am terrified of being alone in the dark and am usually not able to sleep more than an hour or two if I'm home alone. Even today when I took the short walk from our house to the office to pay the rent, I felt the need to look over my shoulder constantly in case someone was following me. It makes life very exhausting, let me tell you.

Some of the other fears that cause me stress are health-related (yes, I'm one who constantly worries that I might have the worst-case scenario disease for the most mundane symptoms, yet hates to go to the doctor) or related to stress that my family and friends are going through. I can get myself worked up to the point of physical illness over someone else's problem that I can't possibly do anything about. Crazy, right?! Well, today I decided to look at what the Bible has to say about the subject of fear, anxiety and worry and here are the highlights of what I found:

"I sought the Lord and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears." Psalm 34:4

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Phillipians 4:6-7

Then Jesus said to His disciples: 'Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?" Luke 12:22-26

"So we say with confidence, 'The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?" Hebrews 13:6

Now these are, of course, just the tip of the iceberg as far as what the bible tells us about fear. Reading these verses have been such a great reminder to me today that God is in control and my fear is worthless, tiring and not getting me anywhere. It is also disobedience and distrust in God.

The reason I wanted to talk about this today is because: a - I have never admitted to anyone just how strongly these fears and stresses are and what a hold they have had on my life. Some people that are very close to me know a bit of it, but not the full extent; b - I hope others can benefit from the scripture I have placed on my blog today and think about their own fears and worries; and c - TODAY is the day I give these fears up.

Lord, I come to you today to ask that You would remove these fears and stresses from my life. I lay them at the foot of the cross and ask that You would bear this burden for me because it is too heavy for me to handle on my own. Forgive me, Lord, for spending so much of my life in fear rather than trusting fully in You. Amen.

Today I am free! And it feels like nothing I've ever felt before!

The Golden Rule

2011-03-30T09:53:00.000-07:00

"Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets. Matthew 7:12 In more common English translation, the phrase is "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." I think pretty much everyone has heard this phrase at one time or another in their lives. In fact, I did some research on Wikipedia and found that almost every other religion and culture have adopted this idea, the Golden Rule, as part of their moral structure. I believe that is because it is so obvious that this is the right way to live. I've been thinking about the Golden Rule a lot lately. It started with an episode of How I Met Your Mother. One of the characters, Barney speak of the Golden Rule as "Love thy neighbor". His friends have to correct him. It was a funny scene, but mainly it got me thinking about the Golden Rule and whether or not I apply it as I should in my daily life. When I take stock of my life and think about how I treat others, I think I do a fairly good job of treating them with respect, love, kindness. But if I really dig deep I find something a little disturbing. I think most of my life I have interpreted the Golden Rule to read "Do unto others as they HAVE DONE unto you." See the problem? I spend too much time worrying about whether others are following the Golden Rule and not enough time worrying about myself. Those are key words..."as you would have them do" that we skim right by without really chewing on. Too often I feel slighted by someone or angered and I take that feeling as a free pass to be unkind to that person or reciprocate the undesired behavior. Another I do, and I'm sure many of you can relate......when I plan to send encouragement to someone or do something nice for someone, my first thought is how will they respond? Wrong! How they will respond should have absolutely nothing to do with my choice to encourage or do something nice. I should be doing those things because they are the right thing to do and because it is how I hope to be treated. Not because I'm expecting reciprocation. I hope this makes sense. I'm feeling a little jumbled in my thinking today. :) The main point I want to make is that we need to make sure that we are helping others, encouraging others, reaching out to others regardless of what those others have done for us or to us. Remember that the Golden Rule is "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you", NOT "Do unto others as they have done unto you." There is a really, really big difference.

Monday Update

2011-03-28T11:47:00.000-07:00

Ah....Monday is here and I'm really excited about this week! For one thing, I woke up to the sun shining and pulled open the curtains to let the light in. For anyone who has been to my home before, you know that I have the world's thickest curtains in my bedroom and I tend to like to hunker down in my tomb-like space in the dark. But not this week. I'm excited about spring and really in a different frame of mind. The week started off with some bummer news but also a new plan. I did not lose any weight this past week. Boo, right?! But.....I'm trying a new variation on my plan this week and I'm already excited to see how it works. I'm not going to share the specifics just yet because I want to give it a chance to work first, but I will fill you in by weeks end. Let me just say that with the weather we are supposed to have this week, outdoor walks are definitely in the plans. Also, since this week is my nephew Brady's spring break from school, I have a bunch of plan with Molly, Katie and the kids this week too. We started off this morning at the Shoreview Community Center spending some time in the pool and then climbing around an indoor park. So much fun!! Another thing I am going to do this week is revamp the job search. I have been dancing around it and only applying for the things that look like they might be "fun" or exactly what I want. This week I am going to focus more on asking God what He wants for me and where He would like me to be. So I would, of course, appreciate prayers in that area. All in all, I'm just really looking forward to a new week. I have a sense of rejuvenation and renewal like I haven't felt in quite awhile and I just know it's because God has something amazing in store for me this week. I'm thinking about doing a blog search this week too. I realized that as a blogger myself, it's always nice to see that others are looking at what you write and maybe benefiting from that. So I'd like to see what else is out there and what I might benefit from on someone else's blog. I'll post any great ones here for you to enjoy as well. So I'm praying for a new, rejuvenating, renewing week for myself and all of my loved ones! Let God speak to you and tell you what He has in store for you this week!!

The Great White North

2011-03-23T09:19:00.000-07:00

So I'm listening to the radio this morning as my alarm clock goes off and they are talking about the snowstorm. After listening to the panic in their voices and the way they were describing the roads and the amount of snow, I had decided that I would be staying home today. Then I popped onto Facebook and the same thing....many of my friends were talking about the treacherous roads and how they wished their kids were staying home from school. So I decided I needed to see it for myself. I looked out the window - for those who don't know, we live on highway 65 - and I see many cars driving by at what appeared to be a mostly normal speed. Then I remembered...........we like to talk tough in Minnesota about how we are The Great White North and we can handle anything, but the minute a flake of snow falls we panic and go insane. It's actually pretty amusing if you ask me.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not suggesting that it's easy to drive in the snow, and I realize that just because highway 65 is in good shape does not mean the rest of the roads are. I am also aware that everyone feels differently about driving in the snow and I totally understand that. What gets me is the media hype first of all and then the folks who panic beyond what reason suggests is normal. For example...I went to Target this morning. Getting out of the driveway was an adventure and a half, but once I was on the road it was a piece of cake. There were many people at Target too, so I was feeling pretty good. Until I saw several people actually stocking up on canned goods and bottled water and heard talk of the upcoming "blizzard" and that we need to be prepared. Really? We got a few inches of snow, not 10 feet!

Sigh. I guess I should be used to it by now. For those who are elderly, pregnant or have children to get all bundled up each time they go out, I totally understand and say stay in if you can. But for the rest of us? Buck up! This is Minnesota! We are know all over the country for our hardiness and our ability to go to work and live life as usual even with piles of snow on the ground. How embarrassing if the rest of the nation found out how wimpy some of us are! ;)

Hmm...that was fun! I have to tease every now and then you know?! :) All in good fun.
In all seriousness, if you do have to go out today, drive safe and stay warm!!

Spring Is Here!!!

2011-03-21T10:51:00.000-07:00

Since today - or I think actually yesterday - marks the beginning of spring, I decided to give my blog an overhaul. I'm feeling it this year.....the great feeling of springtime. Soon we will see the buds on the trees and the flowers blooming. Yes, because it is Minnesota there will probably be more snow before that happens, but still I'm excited.

Spring represents all things fresh and new to me. I'm using this feeling to have a great, new start to this week and get my house in order so to speak. This morning I got the sheets changed on the bed and the house cleaned up a bit and even got two loads of laundry done before lunch. Tomorrow I'm thinking about giving myself a "spring" overhaul. Maybe painting my nails and going through all of my summer clothes and seeing what fits and what doesn't. Just getting myself in the mood for the change in seasons.

I do have a fantastic update for you today. After taking a week off from checking in, I stepped on the scale this morning and it read - 243. That means a loss of 3 pounds since my last weigh-in and a total loss of 11.5 pounds since I started in January. Not to mention a total of 37 from my highest weight. I figured out that with 44 pounds to lose to hit 199 by the fair, I need a rate of 2.2 lbs per week. Should be totally doable! This week I'm going to really focus on exercise. Probably mostly indoors on the Wii and with my Biggest Loser dvd since it will still be a bit on the chilly side.

As for the rest of my life...it was a good week and a bad week. I was sick from Monday through Thursday with a cough, sore throat, stuffed head...the works. And then when I finally felt mostly better, I lost my voice. It is still not back 100%, but I'm feeling quite a bit better and thankful for that. As for the good...we celebrated a lot of birthdays this week. Saturday, March 12th we celebrated Marshall at Molly and Peter's house. Then Friday I spent the day at Ariel's house celebrating my Grandpa's birthday and spent the night at Don Pablos with Mom, Dad and Molly celebrating Dad's birthday. We rounded it out on Sunday celebrating Addy's birthday with the whole family and Ron and Dana's. It was a great week and I had so much fun seeing all of my family.

Anyway, that's been life for the last week. Now it's back to reality and hoping for a healthy, fresh start to spring. Getting in gear for time spent outdoors and enjoying the warmer weather. I don't normally do that, but this year I'm up for a change. :)

Happy Spring!

Hiatus

2011-03-14T08:27:00.001-07:00

Happy Monday all! I'm just here to let you know that I'm taking a week off from blogging this week. I'm devoting this week to getting back on track with some sort of routine, getting my house in order and enjoying the simple things in life like reading and walking outdoors...it's supposed to be really nice out this week! I'll be back next Monday with a new weight loss update and hopefully a fresh outlook on life. Have a great week!!

So Unimportant

2011-03-11T08:18:00.000-08:00

Do you ever have days where everything you thought was important suddenly became meaningless in one moment? Today was that day for me. I had made the decision that I was going to start some new weekly topics for my blog. I was thinking about once a week taking something from the headlines of the news and talking about it. The first thing that came to mind was the union situation in Wisconsin. I do enjoy politics and was looking forward to slam the liberal mindset in this situation and then to continue week after week talking about how stupid the liberals are and how smart us conservatives seem to be.

So, I sit down at the computer and log on to Twitter to see that all of the "most tweeted" posts are related to an earthquake in Japan. I turn on my tv and see that an 8.9 earthquake hit Japan and tsunami waves are hitting all over the world. Hundreds of people are confirmed dead in Japan with many more missing. With that news, all of my wonderful thoughts for my political post shattered. I was hit with an overwhelming urge instead of learn more of what is going on over there and to pray for the people involved.

My point? What I thought was so important - politics - has become so unimportant in just a few moments. While I still believe that there are many important things to be discussed in regards to how our country is run and what sort of nation we are becoming, the lives of so many in Japan mean so much more. How many of these people did not know Jesus as their Lord and Savior and are now forever lost? How many of the survivors are now blaming God for what happened, making it harder for them to draw near? So much more important.

This should be a reminder to all of us just how fleeting our life on earth really is. Do not take a moment for granted. Stop holding grudges, tell the people you love that you love them daily, no matter what. And most importantly, live your life for Him each moment. We need to get the word out to those who are not saved before more people are lost to these tragedies. This should be our urgent mission today. Read your Bible.......these earthquakes are spoken of in His Word. We ARE living in the end times, folks. He is returning soon, no doubt about it. Let's make sure that we are not only ready ourselves, but helping others to be ready as well.

My prayer today is for all of the people in Japan who have lost loved ones or have loved ones who are missing. That God would wrap His arms around those people and draw them closer to Him. That He would use this tragedy to bring people to Christ in great numbers. Victory in tragedy. I also would pray that as Christians, we would be moved by these tragedies rather than numb to them. It's easy to see this happen in a place like Japan and feel so distant. We don't know these people, so who cares? Right?! I know I have a problem with feeling that way sometimes. We need to remember that God loves each and every person on this planet the same. And we should feel it in our hearts every time a member of our "family" is harmed or killed or worse....lost.

So today I am taking stock of the things in my life that I have deemed "important" and doing some reprioritizing today.

Change Me

2011-03-08T08:45:00.000-08:00

Life is full of disappointments, isn't it? I've experienced several already in this short 2011 including the loss of my job. But I think the disappointments that hurt the most are when people in your life disappoint you. Unfortunately, that is part of life. As humans, we are going to disappoint each other. It's an unavoidable fact. Much of the time they are small things, but over the last few months and even the last couple of years, I have found myself disappointed and hurt by people I thought would never fall into that category.

Now I'm not going to get into details because that is not what this post is about. We all have these hurts and disappointments in our lives, but what I want to talk about today is how we handle them. First of all, are we turning these things over to the Lord? If not, forget about ever handling them. You won't. You see, I know that my joy, my happiness, my salvation - all of that comes from the Lord. No person, place or situation can take that away from me. Yahoo!! :)

But the real thing that has been on my heart lately regarding these disappointments and my handling of them is the phrase "Change Me". So often I spend time in prayer asking God to change the people or the situations that have hurt me. I've asked Him to make my job more enjoyable or easier, or to find me a new one. I've asked Him to change the hearts and attitudes of the people around me to make it easier to get along with them. All this time I've forgotten to ask Him to Change Me. Because that's where it all starts. We are not responsible for how others choose to live their lives or the way they choose to react or respond to certain situations. We are only responsible for how we live our own lives.

So today, Lord I ask that instead of changing the people, places and situations in my life that disappoint, anger or hurt me, Change Me. Change my attitude and make me someone who shows Your love to everyone I encounter and in every situation, regardless of how I'm feeling about that person or situation. Change Me.

One of my favorite worship choruses is called Change My Heart, Oh God.
*Change my heart, oh God; Make it ever new; Change my heart, oh God; Let me be like You.*

That is my prayer and my desire today.

Monday Update

2011-03-07T08:02:00.000-08:00

I apologize in advance, but today's update is going to be short. I have a lot to get done today. Started out by shoveling the heap of snow left by the plow, then 1/2 a grapefruit for breakfast and now it's time to shower and get dressed, clean the bathroom and bedroom, vacuum and eat lunch before my three little nephews come to play this afternoon.

I'm excited to get to spend some time with them during the week like this! :) Also, I'm making dinner tonight which is rare, but I'll need time to prepare that as well.....rice and stir fry veggies - yum!!

So, the news you've all been waiting for........I'm down another pound, so I'm sitting at 246. One pound away from my first goal! Now I don't like excuses, but it is right on the cusp of that "time of the month", so I do think there is a little bit of bloat to blame for the smaller loss. However, a loss is a loss and I'm thrilled.

I did set a couple of new goals this week. Only two so I can really focus on them:

1. Exercise all 7 days. There is no excuse not to do something every day. Today, for example, shoveling can be my exercise if I don't have time for anything else.
2. Any allowance points or activity points that I use above and beyond my daily will be for healthy foods only.

I think these are two very doable goals and I'm looking forward to a larger loss this week.
I'm actually shooting for at least 2 pounds if not a bit more. I need to kick start a few to make that State Fair goal! :)

Here goes a new week!

Weekend Update

2011-03-05T16:19:00.000-08:00

No, it's not the segment at the end of Saturday Night Live....(I crack myself up!) ;)

It's my update on how Friday went. I stuck to plan and did I ever get my exercise in!!! I did 1 hour and 20 minutes on the Wii Sports, most of that time on tennis. Was that ever a workout! I was sweating and really feeling it, but it was so much fun that time just flew by.

I got in more water than previously and counted all of my snacks, so I'm a leg up from the previous too "oopsy" days. Thank goodness!!!

Today was also a very good day. Jason and I went out shopping and just bumming around. It was a really fun day. We had lunch at Subway and I actually conquered a craving on the spot - I'm very proud! While standing in line at Subway I saw a sign showing the featured March $5 footlong sub - a meatball marinara with pepperoni. I mean, seriously! It's like they made that sandwich especially for me. I had myself all convinced to go ahead and eat it and figure out the points when I got home. "After all," I said "I can always just have a yogurt for dinner if it's too many points." Yes, that is the actual thought that I was going to use to justify. Well, sense won out and I instead enjoyed a 6-inch Subway Club with cheese but no mayo and plenty of fresh veggies. I even gave my chips to Jason and had just a diet soda. Dinner was pizza rolls and I still have room for a small snack later....most likely a 2-point pudding pop and a 2-point string cheese!!

The best part is that I stepped on the scale this morning and the result was pleasing. I won't say anything so as not to jinx it, but it was good. :)

Stay tuned for Monday weigh - in!! :)

Updates, Updates

2011-03-04T08:21:00.001-08:00

Okay, so I know that I have slacked on my updates this week and I'm here to explain. In all honesty, I didn't want to update Wednesday or Thursday because they were not good days. I mean, comparatively speaking. I still followed the plan and did some exercise, but I did not make good choices. Too many snacks, especially salt-filled snacks. Ultimately, this is going to effect my loss, even if I am staying within my points range.

Now, in the past I would have let this derail my diet completely, and last night I was honestly contemplating it. That is why I'm here this morning being completely honest with those of you who are following my blog. I woke up this morning with a new perspective and I believe that God put this in my heart not to quit today. So here's my plan........

I started out this morning with 1/2 a grapefruit with a bit of sugar and a bottle of water for breakfast. I'm headed to the showers and then going to go through all of our Wii games and play them. Partly because it will be fun to try some that I've forgotten and partly because so many of them require physical activity. I'm also planning on getting in a walk outdoors if the rain holds off for a bit. I honestly believe that keeping your body moving as often as possible is more important than specific exercise regimens. We shall see.

So that's it.....my open and honest assessment of my failures the past two days and the fact that I am NOT going to let this derail me. I am TWO pounds away from my first goal and would love to see that this coming Monday. That will put me at a total loss of 10.5 pounds since I started in January and 45 since my high weight. WOOHOO!

There WILL be an update tomorrow on today's progress, and it WILL be a happier, more productive update! I'm determined!

Be Still

2011-03-02T09:44:00.000-08:00

Happy Hump Day! When I was working, the whole phrase "hump day" had a lot more meaning, but it is still always nice to get to that mid-week point. You kind of know what the week is going to be like and feel like you have a handle on things, ya know?

Well, I'm here to update you all on my progress yet again. Yesterday was not as good as Monday but still pretty good. I got my new Michael Jackson Wii game and tried that out for some exercise - it was SUPER fun! And I am NO good at it! :) I ate healthy throughout the day and my only real snafu was the cinnamon cruncher bagel from Panera and a couple of oreos that snuck in during the night. ;) I did chart these, however and used some of my weekly allowance points so all's good.

You may be wondering about the title of today's post. Well, I have several people in my life right now who are going through very stressful situations. A couple of people with job stress, one with health issues and another with a child that has cancer. Not to mention the fact that we all face stress of one kind or another on a daily basis. It's just part of the joy of living on this imperfect, sin-filled earth. I wanted to share a verse with anyone who fits into the above category today that has really helped me out through some tough stress times:

"Be still and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10

Such a small, simple verse but so power-packed. It's not just a statement, it's a command. When life gets tough we are to be still. In other words, STOP! Stop worrying, stop running, stop stressing about life. And after you have stopped, KNOW that He is God. Don't just believe it, don't just think it, don't just say it, KNOW IT! It's a fact! And what a glorious fact it is. No matter what is going on in our lives, HE IS GOD! And nothing can take that away from us. He is in control even when life feels like it is spinning out of control.

So take this to heart today.
There is a song by Rush of Fools called "Peace Be Still" that is based on this verse too. I would recommend that you look it up. It's a great one.

Yawn - Hack - Sniff Tuesday

2011-03-01T07:38:00.000-08:00

Unfortunately, my title says it all today. I woke up this morning with a stuffy head and a sore throat and ears. Yeah! I'll take it over the nausea that I had last week, that's for sure, but I'd rather be healthy!! Seems like it's hitting everyone right about now, so I guess it's my turn. I am so thankful that I can stay home and relax and not have to go anywhere.

Not much on the plate for today. I need to get at least a couple of job applications out, but otherwise I'm going to hunker down, catch up on some tv shows and try to shake this cold before it even gets started.

I promised you guys an every day update, and I'm here to deliver! :) Yesterday was great. I managed to waddle my way through the Biggest Loser dvd again (not gracefully by any means) in the morning. Breakfast and Lunch were both healthy, with lots of fruit and veggies, a little string cheese and two mini cheeseburgers from Smart Ones. They were small but very tasty for just 5 points each! I got about 60 ounces of water in, so that's pretty good too. Then Molly, Katie and I went out for dinner to Applebees. I love that place because they make healthy eating so great! I normally opt for my steak and potato salad (9pts) but last night I did the Asiago Peppercorn Steak with potatoes and veggies for 10 pts. I can't believe I'm able to enjoy a decent-size steak for so little! And the best part? I didn't feel bloated and barely able to walk afterwards like I so often do with a burger and fries!! :):)

So one day down, 6 to go. I can feel this is going to be a successful week! I'm off to grab a banana and my first bottle of water for today. Talk to you tomorrow!

Monday Update!!!

2011-02-28T08:25:00.000-08:00

Well, I'm happy but not as happy as I'd like to be. I stepped on the scale to another 1.5 pound loss so I'm now at 247, but that still leaves 47 pounds to lose in 6 months if I'm going to go to the state fair. At the rate of 1.5 pounds per week, I would be 9 pounds short of my goal. So I need to have at least one or two weeks where I do better than that.

I did not meet all of my goals from last week sad to say. I did do 5 days of exercise last week, but not 7. I was 100% on the WW plan for 5 days as well, but not 7. This week I need to do 7. I know I can do it and I know exactly the lazy reasons why I did not this week.

So, knowing exactly what needs to be done and how to do it......there is NO excuse not to get it done this week. I think in the interest of staying accountable, I'm going to try something new for one week. Sorry if it may bore you all to tears. :):) I think I'm going to post a blog of some sort EVERY DAY this week. I'll come up with some interesting topics when I can, but each entry will also contain a bit of information on how the last day went for me. Sort of an accountability trail.

In all honesty, I am thrilled about another 1.5 pounds and really glad that I'm still heading down the hill and haven't plateaued or started climbing back up. This is probably the longest I've stuck to a weight loss plan in over 10 years. I had some successes in the past, but never more than a month if I recall correctly.

Well, I guess I'd better get going. I need to figure out what today's workout is going to be. I just might be brave enough to give the Biggest Loser dvd another go-round today. And I should have my Michael Jackson dance game for the Wii in a few days so that will be fun. Tonight is girl's night. Katie, Molly and I are going out while their wonderful husbands watch the kids. So much fun! And we even chose a healthy place, Applebees, where we can all get healthy low-point options and still love every bite!! I'm so thankful that my best girlfriends are so supportive of me and that we can do this together!!!!

Happy Monday all!

Remembering Who I Am

2011-02-25T12:27:00.001-08:00

This morning the song "Amazing Grace" was playing over and over in my head. Especially the line "that saved a wretch like me". I've been reminded lately that I am indeed the wretch in that song. An imperfect sinner trying so hard to live for God and failing so miserably every single day. And the absolute only reason that I have a purpose for living is because I have been saved by the grace of Jesus Christ. Without that, I am a loser. A sinner with no hope. A hopeless, helpless wreck that might as well not get out of bed in the morning. That's a lot of weight to bear when you think of how many people are still lost without this gift of grace.

It makes me angry. Angry with myself for not telling every person I ever meet about this gift. Angry at the church for not always welcoming the "sinners" and "outsiders" into their congregations, thus keeping them from this knowledge. Angry at so-called "christians" who are living in the world as though nothing is different. If you are a true believer, why is your life not showing it?

But more than anything it makes me sad. Sad that I have spent so much of my life judging others and worrying about who is or is not better than I am. Because in truth noone is any better than I am and I am no better than anyone. Not better, just forgiven and saved. The grace of Jesus Christ is literally the only thing that separates me from those that I stand in judgment of so often.

Now don't get me wrong. I believe that as Christians, we need to point out to our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ when they are doing something that is wrong. The bible instructs us to do so. (Matt 18:15-17; Eph 4:25; 1 Cor 5:11). I am thinking more of the way I see those who are not yet saved. I see them living in the world and doing the things of the world and my first reaction is "Wow...I'm so glad I'm not like that person." But the problem with that, of course is that I AM just like that person, except I've met my savior and He has saved me. The ONLY difference.

So I would challenge all Christians out there to pray for a heart for the lost. And I ask God today to break my heart for those who are without hope today. The time is fast approaching when it will be too late and I long so much for everyone to come to know the life-changing grace that I know. How selfish of us to keep this to ourselves!! I feel that I don't deserve this gift if I don't bother to share it with those around me. God has commanded us to "Go into the world and preach the Gospel"........why are we sitting on our hands?

I'm going to remember today exactly who I am. A sinner saved by grace. No better than anyone else and not deserving of the gift I've been given. That will help me to look on others with sympathy and compassion, remembering that I was once lost and have now been found. The least I can do is pass that gift on to them.

Monday Update

2011-02-21T08:40:00.000-08:00

Happy Monday! I'm here with another update of my weight-loss journey. Since I changed my weigh-in day to Monday last week, things have been looking up. With last week's weight up due to not enough water, too much salt and that time of the month, I was up again but I'm back down for a total loss of 7 pounds since January 1st. I'm pretty darn excited about that.

I've also found a great new exercise resource. At Target yesterday I picked up the Biggest Loser Cardio Max dvd and tried it out yesterday afternoon. It tried to kill me. I mean this dvd literally had murder on it's mind. This morning I tried again and it was a little more successful, but still really kicked my butt. I really enjoy it for a couple of reasons....first of all the warm-up and cool-down are only 5 minutes apiece. Sometimes they are 10 or more minutes and that just seems like too much for me. I want to get to the meat of the workout!! Secondly, this dvd is comprised of the trainer and then a group of Biggest Loser contestants. Because of this, you don't have to watch a bunch of perfectly sculpted people workout without breaking a sweat. It's much easier to watch people that are about the same size as me having all of the same struggles with the moves and sweating like crazy just like me. I can relate so much more to that!! At one point during the dvd one of the girls told the trainer that she wanted to kill him. Haha! How often do I feel like that during a workout?! :)

Since it's a new week, I start out with new goals. I'd like to share those goals with you all to help keep me accountable:

1. Exercise 7 days this week - Biggest Loser dvd or a walk depending on the weather.
2. Water, Water, Water - shooting for the WW plan (1/3 of my weight in ounces) which is 82 ounces would be 4 bottles of 20oz size.
3. 100% OP (On Program) - meaning NO cheating, all points counted.

My first weight loss goal is 245 so I'm thinking there's a good chance I could hit that this week. I know that occasionally when you first start working out hardcore you gain muscle so the numbers go up, but I think for sure within 2 weeks I should hit that first goal.

Now for the fun part. I want you all to participate in a challenge with me. Of course by participate I mean root me on and watch the time tick down...or go ahead and try your own goal!!

For me it's this. My absolute all-time favorite thing in the whole world is the Minnesota State Fair. So to really get me motivated this year I have a challenge for myself. I want to be at or below 200 pounds ( a total loss of around 50 pounds) by the start of the fair this year. If I am not at that goal, I will be counting points at the fair. That means maybe a corn dog and an ear of corn, but that's it. Now don't get me wrong...if I do make my goal it's not going to be a free-for-all. I will still eat small portions and share a lot with Jason and watch how much I take in, but I will give myself a points-free day. We walk so much at the fair that it really helps offset too. But if I don't hit that 200 pounds mark or lower then all bets are off. I'm going to put a countdown to the fair on the top of my blog and we'll see how it goes.

Wish me luck!!!

"Normal Person Etiquette"

2011-02-16T08:54:00.000-08:00

I have a feeling using the word "normal" in this post might get me some flack, but here goes. Jason and I went to the Wild game on Saturday night and as we were taking the long walk through the skyways back to our car, we started talking about what we call "Normal Person Etiquette". Little things that we feel like everyone should know but so many people don't seem to. The subject that got us started was what I like to call creepers. As we were walking through the skyway no matter how fast or slow we walked there was a group of people right behind us virtually breathing down our necks. Now there is plenty of room in the skyway and they could have easily walked around, but rather than do that they chose to stay exactly in step with us. Drives both of us nuts!!! There was one point when we were both considering turning the wrong way just to rid ourselves of this group but they finally turned themselves. It had us laughing when we realized that we were both thinking the same thing at the same time. :)

The other separate category under this heading is sports etiquette. During the Wild game it was unbelievable how many people stood up to go to the bathroom or get another beer while the play was still going on. It shouldn't need to be said that when you stand up in front of people at a sporting event (or concert, etc) you should wait until a break to leave and another break to come back. Especially when getting up means the whole row next to you has to get up and move. Eesh!!

There are so many little examples of things that I would put in this group. Getting on an elevator for example. When you get on an elevator, look for a place to stand that is a comfortable distance from the others in there with you. Obviously sometimes if it's really crowded you just do what you have to do to fit, but I've had people come in and stand directly in front of me, touching me, when there was plenty of room not to do so. Here are a couple others:
*If you ask someone how they are doing and they say "fine", let it go at that. Don't ask for details. "Fine" is a polite way of saying "I'd rather not talk about it".
*When someone gives you a gift, say thank you and accept the gift even if you aren't crazy about it or already have it. It's just the polite thing to do.
*When you go to a fast food place, remember that it is FAST food and have your order ready before you get up there. At the very least, don't stand there for an hour asking for special substitutes on each item. There are people behind you who might be in a hurry, thus the FAST food.
*Parking lots.....waiting for people to leave a spot so you can park is fine, but NOT if the people aren't even in their car yet. I can't stand it when I'm trying to put bags in my trunk and take my time and people are sitting there impatiently waiting. If the lights are on and the car is running, then go ahead and wait. Otherwise, pull around.

Okay, so I went a little crazy. I was only going to share the first couple but it spiraled from there. :) These are just a couple of pet peeves of mine that I feel like most people know they should or shouldn't do but just don't care sometimes. I would love to hear some of your ideas for "Normal Person Etiquette". :)

Monday Progress Report

2011-02-14T08:12:00.001-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day all!!
I've been a little bit of a slacker the last week or so, so thought I'd do an update.
First of all, two wonderful pieces of news...my unemployment FINALLY came through and we were able to get our car situation handled. I am SO thankful for both of these things. God's timing has been absolutely perfect for us with our financial situation since I lost my job last month. He truly works in amazing and mysterious ways!

On the weight loss front, I am up 2 pounds today which is not thrilling, but with it being "that" time of the month this past week and sort of a crazy weekend, I'm not too worried. Actually, I'm revamping my weight loss plan this week and really excited to share about that. Since we are trying to buckle down on our finances, I decided to discontinue my online subscription to Weight Watchers. That will save us $17.95 a month. Not a lot, but it adds up. I went up to Rosedale yesterday to the WW store there and was able to pick up a kit that contains the food points book, restaurant guide, journal and a points calculator. So now I can do it from home without the monthly expense. This morning I did up a little chart and taped it up in the bathroom so I can watch my weight progress. I even have some adorable little penguin stickers that will help me track my 5lb loss and my goals. :)

I decided to go ahead and change my weigh-in day to Mondays since that is more practical and a more natural start to the week, so that will also account for the change in weight this week. As for exercise, I found a couple of great things. First, I'm continuing with the Dance Dance Revolution because that seems to be really working. I saw that there is a relatively new dance game out there with Michael Jackson songs on it that looks like a great cardio workout too, so I might plant that seed in Jason's brain as a possible birthday idea. :) The other things are the Boxing and Kung Fu on the Wii Fit Plus. I did the boxing the other day and my arms are still sore! So I think for now I will switch off every other day with the DDR and the Wii until it is nice enough outside to walk. Walking is my preferred method of working out by far.

Well, that's my update. I'm still going strong and actually even enjoying the process of learning to eat healthier without having to "diet" per se. I am so thankful for all of the support I have coming my way from all sides of family and friends and for the support of my husband as well during all of this. I couldn't do it without you all! :)

Here's to a great week! And I have what I think will be a fun post on what I like to call "Normal Person Etiquette" later this week. Right now I'm off to have lunch and hang out with my sister and cousin and their precious little ones. I am a blessed girl!

Attention Winter: Get Out!!

2011-02-10T08:09:00.001-08:00

Now I know that most people who know me well are going to be surprised to see the headline of this post. I am a person who generally loves the cooler weather and while fall will always be my favorite season, winter is right up there usually. I love the beautiful white snow, hot cocoa, bundling up in my coat and mittens and my favorite clothes are sweatshirts so usually me and winter are tight.

Not this year. It has been an interesting and somewhat unpleasant time for my relationship with winter this year. First of all, the pipes. Living in a mobile home, our pipes are all under the house but outside, rather than in a basement like most homes. So back on Thanksgiving our heat tape failed and we lost water to the whole house. It took about 2 hours to thaw everything out by closing all of the vents and driving the heat up to 85 degrees to warm the underbelly. Everything seemed fine after that. Until we hit the next below zero spell. Now everytime the temp dips to zero or below, we lose hot water in our end of the house. Cold water is fine but hot won't even turn on. Right now, for example, all of the vents in the house are closed, the heat is up to 80 degrees and we have a small heater running in the bathroom just so I can take a shower. Very frustrating indeed.

Add to that the extremes of this year. Normally we get colder in November-ish and then we get the snow. I love a snowy Christmas!! Then we get our cold snap in January with probably a few below-zero days and then usually a bit more snow as we head into March. But along the way there are usually plenty of days where you can bundle up and go play in the snow if you're a kid or at least go shopping comfortably if you are an adult. Not this year. It's either so cold you can't even open the door without losing your nosehairs or it's snowing - I mean SNOWING as in blizzard - and you can't go anywhere anyway.

Yes, winter...it's been a rough year for you and I. I will be happy to see you go this year. I just hope next year you can be back to your normal, jolly self and maybe we can make amends. After all, I generally very much dislike your cousin summer but after the year you've given me I just might switch sides. :0

Good News!

2011-02-08T08:36:00.001-08:00

I have some fantastic news to share today. Drum roll please................................................................

Jesus Christ died for the sins of the world. He rose from the dead and now sits at the right hand of His Father in heaven. And the best part? Because of this we all have the opportunity to spend eternity in heaven!! Pretty amazing news, huh?!

I know that some of you are saying "Wait...we already knew that." Well, of course many of you do already know that. But lately I've been thinking. How on earth can I possess such incredible news and not shout it from the rooftops every chance that I get? We as Christians spend way too much time living on this earth carrying around this fantastic life-saving secret and don't seem to feel the need to share. How selfish of us!! This truth isn't only for us, it is for all who believe.

So I would encourage all Christians today to shout this truth from the rooftops each and every day.

For anyone reading this who does not know this truth, know this. Jesus Christ died for your sins. He loves you and He wants you to come into His family. All you have to do is admit your sins and accept Him into your heart. I would suggest picking up a bible and diving in....you will find all the answers you could ever hope for in there.

Thank You, Lord for this incredibly good news.

WW Update - Week 4

2011-02-02T07:21:00.000-08:00

Let me start this post out by admitting that this was not a fantastic week. I didn't eat a lot, but I also didn't make the best choices of what I did eat. What I did do better than last week was drink much more water and do a couple of 45 minute sessions on my DDR which I think really boosted me.

Needless to say, I wasn't expecting much when I stepped on the scale this morning but guess what? I had lost another 1.5lbs!!! This puts me at 249.5lbs which means I am under 250 for the first time in nearly 10 years. Seeing that 4 where the 5(and sometimes 6,7 or 8) has been for so long almost brought me to tears. It was also a huge motivator. I hopped out to the kitchen and made up some oatmeal with flax seed and raspberries and filled up my water bottle. I have my multivitamin in today too.

I'm getting ready now to shop for some dress pants in case I ever get a job interview and the meet my Dad for lunch at Northwestern. The plan is to have sub sandwiches in the cafeteria. They sound really good and subs are always a healthy choice. If it's too busy we will hit Subway, but either way I'm looking forward to it. After lunch I'm off to the grocery store to stock up on more healthy options for the week ahead.

Thank you so much to all of you who have been praying for me during this first few weeks of my weight loss journey. I feel your prayers. It seems that every time I'm thinking of giving up I get an encouraging e-mail or phone call or I just sense that someone is praying for me at that moment. It has given me the strength to do this. I love all of you so much!!!

Moving forward with a new week. Now that I've seen the 240s I'm greedy......lets get moving to those 230s!!

Where Has All The Reverence Gone??!!

2011-01-31T11:32:00.001-08:00

A couple of weeks ago in church, our music director spoke and he talked about what is important in church and what is not. For example...he talked about whether or not we need to dress up, be on time or drink coffee in the church service. His take was that Jesus told us to "Come as We Are", so if our heart is in the right place, the rest doesn't matter. On the surface, I agree wholeheartedly. I believe that if you have a love for Christ and a genuine desire to learn about Him and to worship Him when you walk into church, the rest of that is pretty unimportant. However, there is another side to this issue that makes it a tough one for me. While I absolutely believe that the man who walks in 10 minutes late wearing jeans and a tee shirt carrying a Starbucks glass can worship every bit as effectively as the man wearing a suit who shows up on time and does not bring in a beverage and that sometimes it is the suit-wearing man who has the heart issues, I also would call Christians to a little respect and reverence. I think sometimes we get so caught up in not being judgmental that we forget that we are entering the House of God on Sunday mornings.

I think a lot of what makes our actions right or wrong depends on our attitudes. For example. When you wear jeans to church or dress very casually...is it because that's what you are most comfortable in? Is it because you can't afford nicer clothes? Or is it because you put no thought into how you look for church and just show up in whatever was easiest to grab? Because that last reason gets to me. When we get ready for church in the morning, we should think about the fact that we are heading into God's House. If God literally invited you over for dinner at His home in person, would you show up in your grubbies with no thought for how you looked? No. And when it comes to being late or eating or drinking in the service....do you have a condition that causes you to be dry during church and need water occasionally? Otherwise, why do you NEED to have coffee or a snack? Can you not maybe just wait until the service is over? And when arriving late...is it because things got crazy at home or the kids were going nuts or you overslept an occasional time? Well obviously that happens. Or is it because you didn't think for one minute about church and didn't plan ahead at all to make sure you made it on time? See where I'm going with this? It's all about the attitude.

This past Sunday, Jason and I attended a former church to hear one of our favorite pastors. The sermon was fantastic and we sang some great hymns, so I really enjoyed that part. But it seemed to me that there were more children than usual in the service and none of them were behaving. There was a boy about 10 or 12 reading a book, two little girls dancing around the back of the sanctuary during the songs and sitting on the floor with a man who I believe was their father during the sermon, babies crying everywhere, and children leaving the sanctuary and coming back over and over. I remember when I was a child in church. For one thing, we went to Sunday School and to children's church whenever it was available. On the Sundays when we did have to be in the service, there were no snacks, no toys, no reading a book or talking. We sat on our chairs and paid attention. Occasionally it was okay if we colored on the bulletin when we were very young, but we knew that we were there to worship and we respected that. If we did get a little crazy, one glance from Mom or Dad and we knew to close our mouthes and behave. I wonder.....why do parents never send their children to Sunday School or the nursery or children's church anymore? The appropriate place for a baby is in the nursery where they can play and mom and dad can enjoy the service and get something out of it. Obviously there are exceptions to this. If you are new to a church and need to take a couple weeks to get used to it and get to know people or if your baby is sick or crabby and just needs to be with you then that's fine. But please, please take them out if they are crying so it is only you who misses the sermon, not the whole congregation. As for the older children, why are they in church if you are going to let them play with their toys? They should be in Sunday School or they should be paying attention. My little nephew Brady has spent three Sundays in church with us for a variety of reasons and each time he was quiet and respectful. He sang along with the music, walked quietly with us up for communion and when he was sitting he drew on a piece of paper quietly so we could hear the sermon. Refreshing.

I'm sure I sound very preachy with all of this, and that was not my intention, but I wanted to get it all out. I think for me the main thing is that I see Christians in general treating church like just another social gathering. A time to talk to your friends, hang out and have some coffee or soda and just have fun. I have gotten caught up in that plenty myself and have even used some of it as an excuse to not attend church regularly when I know I should.

So I'm asking all of you Christians out there, myself included. Stop and think about where we are going on Sunday morning. We are entering the House of the Lord. Let us go in with an attitude of worship, and attitude of gratefulness for what He has done, an attitude of prayerfullness and desire to let Him teach us. And a respect for those around us who are there for the same reasons. God has earned our respect and our reverence.