Day 19 of turbofire

Okay everyone I made it to day 19 of turbofire...If you aren't familiar with this program it is a high intensity cardio conditioning program. I bought this back in November(during the black friday sale) and decided to give it a try...I started the program a couple of times but always seemed to lose motivation...Well this time I am on day 19....

One of the secrets(well not so secret) is that I have started doing this with a challenge group. My challenge group is an amazing group of people that are all in different programs , different phases of fitness but are all committed to one common goal, that is that they are committed to working out and getting healthier.

So anyway with the help of this group I have found that I am sticking with it. We have talked a lot about accountability to each other and to ourselves.




These beachbody programs are focused at both exercise and nutrition. The nutrition part is where I lose it. Although I am much better at making wiser choices that I was I still falter at it. I tend to resort to the comfort foods or in general my sweet tooth wins. So as part of my challenge I decided to try the Chocolate Shakeology. It is a protein/meal replacement drink.

Shakeology ain't your momma's slim-fast...It is mostly made from whole foods...Take a look at the back of the package and you will realize that it isn't even comparable. I noticed within the first two days of drinking it that I felt better. One week in I noticed reduced cravings...two weeks in and I can actually pass up a piece of chocolate cake....that's right CHOCOLATE cake.... I was really surprised by how much different the product was than other meal replacement options....





So anyway I am 19 days in. I started this journey at 211 pounds and am now at 206. Not that much I know but I have lost a bunch of inches and feel so much better than I did when I started this journey. The program takes a total of 90 days...so I still have 70 days left to go before I am done..Even if I just keep losing 6 pounds every 19 days I will lose over 20 pounds(clearly I hope now that I am getting my act together that I will be able to lose more than that).

I am gonna post more to this and let everyone know how I feel as I make it through the process. I hope that I will continue to have some good progress.. If you want to join me in turbofire than you can click on the links above or email me!!!

What's Essential?

So most of you that know us know that we are moving again....
that of course is nothing new....

So I've begun the process of packing stuff up. Luckily we are
not moving for a couple of weeks yet, probably not till the end of
February, but I'm trying to decide what makes the trip and what
doesn't.

I am by no means a pack rat, I long ago learned to shed stuff
easily. I've tried to keep the number of things I accumulate to
a minimum, sort of keeping a list of what's essential...

As I have begun cleaning out the garage, the first of many
rooms that will be cleaned, I realize that I have 4 large lawn and
leaf trash bags full of clothes that no one wears. Somehow in the
past two years I've begun storing stuff again that might be useful.

As good as I am at not keeping stuff I still need so much help at
determining what is essential. One of the best ways I've learned to
do this is the moving method. Is this something that I want to pay to
move to a new location??? If the answer is no than it can go.. Now
don't get me wrong, sometimes I take stuff with me that someone else
would question....Sometimes I even look back and say, what was I thinking
I should not have thrown that out and vice versa...The thing is when you
start looking at things that way you realize what you place value on.

My family has more than enough stuff and I have come to realize that
we seem to have far less than most. I'm not going to get into that, another
post for another day....but I think that when you start living your life out
of boxes you realize just how essential the things that can't be packed
into boxes are and you nuture those, make them grow and build on it.

So as I continue this packing process I keep pushing forward..purging
the stuff that has slowly accumulated and making decisions about the
essentials in life. Moving forward and on....

Decolbie Esco Memorial Golf Outing

DeColbie Esco Memorial Golf Outing

Friday May 24, 2013
Stonebridge Golf Club, Monroe, North Carolina * 3500 Doster Road Monroe, NC 28112

In loving memory of former Wingate University football player DeColbie Esco.

Proceeds to benefit One Hope United and Centralina Youth Council.

“My life is only one story of the saga of inner-city living. Athletics and after school programs positively taught me lessons about myself, about respect, and about work ethic.”

DeColbie overcame the obstacles of growing up in urban Chicago and became a college athlete and a graduate of Wingate University. Tragically, DeColbie was killed as a result of gang violence in Chicago in August of 2012. He was employed as a teacher at One Hope United, an after-school program in Chicago which aims to protect children and strengthen families. In 2012, It has been estimated that 77 percent of the over 400 murders in Chicago this year have been related to gang activity. Here in North Carolina, there are an estimated 19,000 gang members with an average age of 15. The purpose of this outing is to raise money and awareness for these charitable organizations that look to combat this violence every day.

Join his former Wingate teammates and the community on Friday the 24th, a day after DeColbie’s birthday, to celebrate in loving memory his life and to benefit the One Hope United Organization and the Centralina Youth Council in an effort to protect our youth.

$80 per person/ $280 per foursome (Includes cart & green fees, lunch, drink tickets and dinner.)

 Send check or money orders made payable to KMG Events to 441 Vine Street Suite 3600 Cincinnati, OH 45202
  Non-golfers… If you are not a golfer but would still like to come and show your support, an “entry ticket” for $30 is available that includes access to the tent area where we will have raffles and prizes, as well as dinner and two drink tickets. To sign up, send this in with your name below and a check to KMG Events for $30. Thanks for your support!
Entry ticket only (no golf) - $30


Hole Sponsorships available for $150 * Cart Sponsorships available for $50 * Scoreboard Sponsorships available for $25 * Contact me for more information!

Moving forward

It's that time of year, the time of year that we football wives fear.
It's firing season...the time of year that schools make changes
to the football programs.If you spend any amount of time in this world
 you will more than likely go through the experience. As a wife we
 face a new challenge in this role we take on.

For many wives, football wives in particular we are our coach's
biggest supporter. We listen to countless hours of recruiting,
and game planning. We fully commit ourselves to this program.
Our children grow up saying things like "Let's Go _____(Insert Mascot).

We explain to ourselves that our husband's absence is due to
his commitment to the program, his love of this school and his
desire to do what it takes. Every single away game, week spent
on the road recruiting and late dinner is explained as doing what
it takes....then one day it is all over.

You may feel angry, betrayed, and more often than not sad. We
try to hide our feelings, in an effort to support Coach, who we know
is now more stressed than he'll ever admit. We start doing things
like focusing on packing up the house, telling him that no matter
where we go or what we do we are doing it together...

As we pack up the home, we realize that a lot of our life goes
with it. For many of us it isn't just changing jobs, see most
coaches don't find a job in the same town they live in. So we
pack up our lives, preparing to be in a new town, away from
those friends we've made in the amount of time that we lived
in the place that we did.

Now the thing about those of us that have been through it before,
we know what it is like and if we are on a staff that has a new family
coming in we do everything we can to make them comfortable. We
fill them in on the area, the doctor's, the schools, the parks, and all
the things that someone else filled us in on..

Whenever a staff gets fired, I say a prayer for those families, knowing
how hard it is to deal with those situations. Praying that the families
find new jobs fast, that they can move easily and that the stress won't
be too much.

Take it from someone who knows, having an out of work football
coach hanging around is not something I wish on anyone. They often
struggle with the thought that they aren't good father/husbands because
they expose their families to this kind of instability. They struggle
with the fear they won't get a good job, or that they will stay in the
"one year wonder" position that keeps the family moving every year.
They say they are thinking about a different job, but everyone knows
that a coach has it in his DNA and we all know that DNA doesn't
change.

So we cry, we feel sad, we feel angry and we pack up the boxes. We
move forward. We move forward with our lives, we move forward with
our worlds and we say goodbye. Goodbye to the school we loved for
so long, goodbye to the homes we created and goodbye to the friends
we made. We move forward and know that we will likely make new
friends, and we will love new homes and cheer passionately for new
teams because at the end of the day we are just grown up cheerleaders
and our jobs are to bring cheer to the worlds we live in...

The Urban Assault Vehicle also known as a Minivan

Okay...my love affair with minivans has become a full time obsession! I stalk dealership web pages( my favorite it Hickory Toyota), literally ogling the vans. I have become somewhat of an aficionado of people moving vehicles. My husband calls them urban assault vehicles because he says you can literally move around any town, cargo and kids in tow! He calls it a dad truck...

My first foray into the soccer mom segment happened on July 29,2005. Pretty specific huh, well that is because it was exactly two days before my twins (baby 3 and 4) arrived into this world. Knowing that we wouldn't be able to fit 4 kids into the back of my Dodge Neon we decided that people moving was in our best interest. So we got this beauty right here...I 2003 Dodge Grand Caravan Sport!

Mine of course, known as "the brick" doesn't look like that right now...After all Brick is a grocery getter and has had her fair share of run ins with bicycles and the occasional curb...there is still some damage on the right rear from an incident with a tree..Its got the random stains from kids, after all 5 children do occupy the majority of the interior space. Brick has made countless trips across NYS and even many trips from NC to WNY. She has been in snowstorms, heat waves, and all temps in between. She's hauled bags of top soil and mulch, countless groceries, loads of cargo(with the seats removed you have so much space), two arm chairs with an ottoman(try fitting that in the back of your sedan). All while getting decent MPG(18 city and 26 highway). Better yet she's a flex fuel(so she can use ethanol too).

So it should serve as no surprise that I love minivans. Maybe love is an understatement. I have been looking at the my dream minivan(yes I have a dream one), a Toyota Sienna! I fantasize about things like 

rear roll down windows (I'm drooling)

Cargo Space(look at the in floor part)

Fold flat rear seat(I think I am in heaven)

 Backup camera(how many trees and curbs would be saved)

Who doesn't love the thought of a DVD system.

Theses pictures don't do the experience justice. Check out this video. Just remember that you have been warned. I am not responsible for you rushing out to buy a new Sienna, while you are at it you can send me one too.

http://www.toyota.com/sienna/vehicle-tour.html

This dodge Commercial just about sums it up...

http://youtu.be/IryPRfEOrDk

Until next time!!!

A woman's worth

"A woman is often measured by the things she cannot control. She is measured by the way her body curves or doesn’t curve, by where she is flat or straight or round. She is measure by 36-24-36 and inches and ages and numbers. By all the outside things that don’t ever add up to who she is on the inside so if a woman is to be measured, let her be measured by the things she can control. By whom she is and who she is trying to become, because as every woman knows measurements are only statistics, and statistics Lie."

These ad executives at Nike are brillant. I'm not talking about a little bit but amazingly insanely intelligent. What a wonderful way to celebrate a woman.  At first look you'd think it might have a negative impact, after all Nike is in the business of selling sporting and fitness goods to people. Why would they want to make an ad that would seem to contradict that.

In my opinion this does the opposite. It encourages women to look past that number. It encourages them to look at the goal. Look at what you want to accomplish. Push forward and say that I don't care what the number says I am going to accomplish this!

Most of you know that I am starting a 90 day challenge on Feb 6th. I am using the Chalene Extreme program. I know that this is going to be a huge challenge for me. I am going to have to dig down deep to find that strength to push forward on days that I don't want to do it. The hardest thing is that I know, in my heart that I can do it.

The numbers that are on the scale, or the tape measure(I'll post those later in the week) are just numbers. They don't mean that is what I am defining myself as. They are a sum of actions(mostly inaction) tallied up over a length of time. They are not who I am, they are not what I see when I look in the mirror(figuratively).

When you look in the mirror what do you see? Many people look and see the reflection of years of self loathe. The fact that they didn't love themselves enough to make better choices about the way they felt. Often this can inturn lead to more self loathe and a bigger pattern.

At some point you have to look at the person in the mirror. You have to stand up and say, I see you in there and I am going to start making choices to make sure that everyone else sees you too. You have to make the changes you want to see. Sometimes they are small, like getting up and getting active, sometimes they are big, like making the decision to go back to school.

The thing is that if you know what you are inside, don't ever let the numbers on the outside deny you from that. Move forward and remember statistics lie.

You are right where you should be NOW!

Okay so this is sort of a post due to my BBC Steve(Beach Body Coach).

He wrote a personal motivation on our team webpage the other day, about

the things that motivate us and encourage us to keep moving forward. He

wrote also about this statement he heard while listening to one of those 

team "motivational(I call them sales) calls". 

The person was talking about the statement of "you are right where you 

should be NOW!!"

When I read his post those words spoke to me. After all I am someone

that has spent much of my blog space writing about actions(and inaction) 

that have lead to the places that we end up.

I started thinking about how negative that this statement could be, after

all it basically says you are what you are because of what you did. Then

I realized that the key word in the phrase was "NOW"(Yes I admit I did

not pay much attention to capitalization).

The NOW means that we don't have to end up where we are at. We

have the power to change our ending spot. We have the power to 

be who we want to end up being.

For some people this may be harder. For instance I am a person that in

all honesty does not have more than 40 minutes a day to exercise. So I 

may not be able to fit the P90X program in but that does not mean that I

can't fit in another activity to make myself healthier.

Our spot in life is never meant to be a parking place. It is meant to be a
place that encourages us to look around, grow and move forward. To
keep striving to make ourselves that much better.

For me( those of your that are regulars know this)  my goals are to earn
my degree, have a safe home for my children, teach and educate my family
about how to be the best they can be. I also would like some things like
a new car, a new house, and a wonderful family vacation(dreams)

So I want to move forward, but unless I am willing to change something
I am not going to get there. After all I can't expect to get a new result from
the same old input. If you want something to come you have to recognize
what you need to put in to get that.

So what are you doing to be in a new place when you are are taking
a minute to look around.

The answer??---

So my daily devotional this morning was Proverb 16:3-

"Commit what you do to the LORD, and your plans
will succeed."

Before I get into it I have to say God is good. I prayed last night for the
answer to something that has been on my mind. It is something related to
the future and making plans.

For about a week I have been trying to decide if an opportunity that may
be granted would be the right thing for us. The chance for subsequent
failure greatly increases with this opportunity. I was worried about plans
and succeeding.

So last night I asked God for a sign, I asked him to answer this one little
thing. I asked for some indication that taking the chance would not lead
to another crippling fall for my family.

This morning I woke up. I googled the daily devotional for women and I
clicked on the very first link. I almost couldn't believe it. Really!!! Was
this the answer that I had prayed for sitting right in front of me?

God is good!!!! I know it is somewhat selfish to believe that this was
written just for me. But it surely was the intent that out of all the possible
verses that I could find this morning, that this would be the one that
is presented to me.

What a fresh feeling I have now. After all I know that maybe it will
not work out the way we totally would like that but if we committ
to the Lord this opportunity then we will be successful. So today I
eagerly await the outcome to the opportunity and I will continue to
look to the Lord for more guidance.

What a powerful way to start off a week.

THANKS BE TO GOD!

My dream come true

I have to share about my dream come true! For Christmas, thanks
to my mom and stepdad Roger, I finally got my Red Kitchenaid mixer
that I have been dreaming of!!!

You really don't have any idea. I have wanted one of these since I got
married(in 2003). I have been looking at them, adding it to my Christmas
list and dreaming of them for a long time.

So I got the mixer. I had read some reviews, this mixer is one of the ones
that is a little bit lower power, so that means you aren't going to be able
to easily mix a huge thing of bread dough, but let me tell you, I use this
thing all of the time.

After using this I realized that this might be the best "kitchen aid" that I
have ever gotten. It is nice not to have to hold the mixer while trying to
add in an ingrediant. It is also nice knowing that as my 2 year old is
pulling at my leg, that I can pick her up without having to stop making
something. No wonder most mom's I know that have these wouldn't
trade them for the world.


Since I have gotten this I have made:

(Jordan Family Red Velvet Cake)

(holiday sugar cookies, with frosting)

(banana mini muffins)

(whole wheat bread)

(waffles- whole wheat and regular)

(pasta dough)

(Peanut butter cup cupcakes)

So needless to say this thing can make a lot of yummy treats and some

healthy stuff too. The one thing I can say is that it isn't a low carb deal.

So here's to a delicious 2012 and more yummy things of all kinds to make

with my mixer!!!

Looking down on others

Okay. So I have to be honest. I am pretty sick of seeing the endless
posts that say stuff like:

"
Here...let me tick some people off...Did you get drug tested today? Thank you Florida, Kentucky, and Missouri, which are the first states that will require drug testing when applying for welfare. Some people are crying and calling this unconstitutional. How is this unconstitutional? It's OK to drug test people who work for their money but not those who don't?… Re-post this if you'd like to see this done in all 50 states. I just did!! I totally agree it should be mandatory!!!"


It really really bothers me to no end that people are so busy looking down
on other people because they feel that they are getting an unfair hand out, or as
some people like to say an "entitlement".

This bothers me on two ends. One is because when my husband lost his job we
usedfood stamps and I had more than one time when I almost had to get in a
 fight with someone because they assumed that I was someone that abused the
system. The second reason this really gets to me is because people claim to be
Christians yet they fail to follow the one thing that Jesus held more closely to
 him, The Golden rule!

If you make enough money to provide for your family a comfortable living then
 you can most certainly afford the "tax" that you lose to the government to help
 others. If you can eat without going hungry, then you should not be worried
 about what the person on food stamps does. After all aren't your basic needs
 meet, aren't you able to eat and drink and have shelter.

If you are blessed enough to have a job(over 8.6% of Americans do not) then
 be glad that you don't have to look for a job and deal with the issues that those
that do not have a job have.

Many people complain about paying high taxes to support people that don't
 do anything. Yes, it would be nice if we could keep every penny that we earn
but if that was the case then we would not have roads, or safe housing, or
schoolsor post offices, or police or librarys, or even safe food. All of these
 things exist because of tax revenue from taxpayers.

My point is that people complain and complain, look down and blame those
 under themfor the fact that they can't afford to do what they want in life, or
that they can't afford to take that vacation, or put in that bigger pool, or any of
 a million other things that are not absolute needs in this life.

I choose to look at it this way, Jesus put me on this earth to spread the love. He
 wanted me to share what I could with everyone. Not just those that looked,
 acted and did the things that I did. He wanted me to love the people that aren't
 easy to loveand to help the people that needed it, whether or not they deserve it
 in my eyes. If more people followed this point can you imagine how beautiful this
 life would be.

I CAN LOVE BECAUSE GOD LOVES ME
I CAN GIVE BECAUSE GOD GAVE!!!

What battles are you facing?

What battle are you facing today? Few of us are facing actual military battles
but that doesn't make our battle any less difficult. Some of us are facing the
battle of getting through that snow drift outside, others of us are facing the
battle of trying to care for our families. Some might be facing a battle of a tough
and difficult relationship. Still others might be battling internally with things like
self doubt and fear.

Turn on the TV or flip through a magazine and you will certainly see people that
are faced with battles of addiction to various things from medicines and drugs to
food and money. People can be seen on pretty much any station dealing with drug
abuse, anger problems and eating disorders. All of these are things that can be and
should be looked at as battles.

Everyday I face battles that seem inconsequential, like convincing a very tired and
cranky 2 year old that infact she does need a nap or that making a healthy and
nutrious dinner for my children is better than opening a box of Kraft Mac and Cheese
(I'm ignoring the fact that my children will not even touch this particular product) and
feeding them a less time consuming meal.

The point is that we all have things that we must face. Some of us do have bigger
battles but even those small battles can build up over time. Trying to face each and
everything that we do in the world alone will only lead to an overwhelming failure.

Sure many of our battles can be faced with only a little effort but when we come to
the ones that require more where do we turn. Do we turn to friends, family, or people
that are considered professionals? Do we seek the council of trusted and respected
members of our community? The simple answer is usually yes.

The bible says(I'm paraphrasing here) that we need not face any battle alone. That
when we stand with the Lord and put our faith in god that he will fight the battle for
us. Some people doubt this, after all how can the Lord fight it for us?

The answer is simple though, The Lord puts people in your life that can help you
with the battle, he gives you the strength and knowledge to do what you need to
do and most importantly he lets you know that you are not alone in any way.

So as you approach your battles today, remember that you do not have to do it all
alone and that if you put your faith in the Lord, you will be able to get through the
battle.

GOD BLESS!

I resolve....

This year I resolved to make just one resolution. That was that I
wouldn't make any more resolutions!!! Even with the giggles and
jokes aside I am serious about this.

One of the things I dislike about resolutions is that people wait
till this sparkling New day to make changes that they should have
made long ago. My new thing is why wait to make the change that
is needed...

With that being said I can tell you that like so many others I thought
about all the things that I wanted to accomplish this year. Sort of
a To Do list for the next year of my life(although for those that read
the last post you know that many think we only have 349 days).

My To Do list though doesn't have things that I will do today, and
it isn't something that I am going to resolve to accomplish. It is just
stuff that I would like to get done by the end of 2012... So for those
of you that care here is the list....


MY TO DO FOR 2012

1. Complete 2 more 15 week college terms, I'm shooting for three
though(more on that in another post).

2. Figure out which grad school options are best for me, I have two
in mind and am really in love with the executive MHA from UNC.

3. Put down the down payment and send out save the dates for
our vow renewal cruise.(this won't happen till around April)

4. Continue with my healthier me from last year. Ideally lose more
weight so I would look great in a vow renewal dress.

5. Reactivate my Facebook and start deleting people. Missing
those people on FB that are special to me and I'm looking forward
to sharing good news with all.

6. Keep my focus on what is important in my life. Let go of those
that don't need or make time for me and replace them with those
that do!

7. Plan and celebrate my husbands milestone birthday. I'm thinking
I would like to do this as a surprise party but we'll see what we
can develop in that time. At any rate I want him to have a really
special day.

**More to come as I see fit, the beauty of the no resolution resolution
is that I can add and remove as I want to and I haven't broken any
of the rules...LOL!

Here's to a productive 2012!!!!

The end is near?

Alright so you'd probably have to be hiding under a rock to
not know that a lot of people predict that the Earth will end
on Dec 21,2012.

For those of you that aren't too familar with it this is based
off the fact that the Mayan Calendar runs out on Dec 21,2012.
So lots of the doomsday people say that the Mayans somehow
knew this and set their calendar to end on this date.

Now let me be the first to say that I really don't believe that this
is the case. Considering that the Mayan calendar was created in
3372 B.C., I would imagine that they probably didn't see much
need to go past 5,300 years..I can tell you that I am almost certain
that our concept of time and our calendar will probably not be of
much use if the human population lasts until 5384 A.D.

But anyway I digress. If the world that we know does end in 354 days,
what would you do with your time on this Earth? Would you spend
the next 350 days doing things on your bucket list? Would you
learn how to love better? be a better friend? or would you just continue
to live the way that you do know, planning on waking up on Dec 22,2012?

Some of you will say stuff like "Oh I'm not really worried about that stuff!",
 laughing it off and continuing on your way.. Some of us will sit down and
make some changes, planning on living a better life and coming up with
a unique idea for the next year.

The funny thing about making a plan is that we are not promised a
tomorrow. None of us can 100% know that we will wake up tomorrow,
or that our loved ones will wake up next to us. We don't have a promise
that everything will not change making our old "Earth" unrecognizable in
the blink of an eye.

The people going to work on Dec 7,1941 never imagined that bombs
would be raining down on their heads. Most of us couldn't have believed
that on an beautiful Tuesday morning in September we would watch
two huge buildings crumble and our lives would be forever changed in
the matter of hours.

My life forever changed on April 19, 2003. As I prepared for Easter
the next day I went into labor with my first child and from that day on
I added "mommy" to my list of names.

So much of our lives are spent in preparation of events. Preparing for
the day we get married, or the birth of our children we do what we
know is said to be right be we have no promise that it will go according
to plan.

Even with that in mind we all continue to plan for the future and hope
that the work we put into it will be sufficient. We plan like our futures
are completely up to our effort but must be prepared for the event that
it isn't.

With 350 days left in the Mayan calendar though can we not deny that
we can do something really great with them. Can you do something
that will make the world a better place? I know that I like the challenge
of it and am really thinking of ways to do it.

DONE?

THIS IS GONNA BE A SHORT ONE!!!!



I FINISHED MY LAST ASSIGNMENT OF 2011!!!

WOO-HOOO!!!



I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO HAVING A COUPLE OF
WEEKS OFF TO SIT BACK, RELAX, AND ENJOY MY
FAMILY....


BUT LETS BE SERIOUS I NOW HAVE A COUPLE OF
WEEKS TO CATCH UP ON ALL THE HOUSE WORK,
AND TO ATTEMPT TO POTTY TRAIN MIMI AND
MAYBE, JUST MAYBE READ A BOOK THAT IS NOT
ABOUT SCHOOL STUFF...

AT ANY RATE I AM FINISHED AND NOT A MOMENT
TOO SOON!!!!

What if.....

There is this song on the KLOVE(a great Christian station) that I love to
listen to. It is called Blessings by Laura Story. The little graphic above
is the chorus to the song. Here is the link to her song..(PLEASE LISTEN)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mmgV6mPvb0


Makes you think right? Lots of people, me included have been told
God never gives you more than you can handle. What if that isn't
true, what if he gives you more than you can handle to see how you
handle it?(Philosophy at its best).

All the times that we see a disappointment in our path may just be
the things that bring the blessings with them. We've all heard the
cliches about struggle and disappointment making us all a better
person. Some of them include:

"You have to go through the rain to see the rainbow"

"One door must close before another one can open."

"You have to turn your life upside down before it can be right
side up"

"You have to break it down before you can make it stronger"

And so on, I can imagine that there are millions of more ways
of saying the same thing. All of it conveying the same sentiment,
bad things happen and getting past them will get you to something
better.

We all pray for good things like wisdom, health, family, protection,
well being, jobs, understanding and the such. But we may not see
that to get the things that we pray for we have to go through a
change to get them.

What if we knew that to get the wisdom that we seek we had to
go through a tough experience teaching us that wisdom. Would
we approach the seeking of it differently. Would we deal with
the tough times in a different way.

Even if we approach the tough times with perseverance we may
start to feel that hope fading away. We have no way of knowing
just how long that rain will fall or how long that journey will be.
It may last a short time or take a very long time. We may abandon
it all together because we are not willing to take another minute
of it. In those cases we can only hope that the journey will grow
bright on the next path.

The truth is that even the strongest person can become weary
of the journey. Sometimes we may need to sit down and take
a moment to rest. We may need to pick up that friend and
remind them that we are there with them, and although we can't
carry them through the journey we can walk with them a little
while and help them approach that goal they seek.

So my question to you is have you walked with someone on
a journey lately. Have you guided, inspired, or encouraged a
person that you know needs it. Have you given nourishment
to the soul in need? Have you given a candle of hope to a
person on the long journey that they are facing?

As we approach the New Year try thinking of making a New
Year's resolution that will do this. Make it a goal to spread
the hope and love that you have with someone that could use
the encouragement. Don't just give lip service, share the tales
of hardship with a gift of love, friendship and nourishment.
That gift you give may be the blessing the person needs to
help them on the path!!!

Observations, Surprises and Updates

Time for some more updates, obeservations and surprises...

 1. IT HAS BEGUN-- I finally started Christmas shopping, My mother in

 law sent me somemoney to buy Christmas presents from her for the kids,

 that way she won'thave to lug them on the train, so I officially have presents

under the tree. I still haven't started my shopping yet, thinking I'll do it next

week.

2. SANTA--This Santa and other childhood imagination stuff is hard.

 My kids allstill believe in Santa, so I am still trying to plan Santa wisely.

I bought thewrapping paper that Santa will use yesterday,of course I had to

 hide it sothe kids won't see it.. Sometimes I think we as parents are crazy for

adding one more thing to our list...

3. BUT KEEP THE OLD- I got an unexpected email from two of my friends

that I have not heard from in a long time(one of them over a year). What a true

blessing to be able to catch up with those people again. God has blessed me

with them and I am thankful that even though life has keep us busy we can

still catch up every now and then.

4.JOBS AND MOVING- For the time being it is looking like we will be staying

put. A mix of emotions, I know that I was secretly hoping that the one option

would work out and make a good situation for Coach. If its meant to be it will

work out.

5.FUNDING- I found out I got a grant award at school. It isn't a lot of money,

it covered the cost of books but it is that much more money I don't have to spend

and that is always good news!!!

6. I'M DREAMING OF A BROWN CHRISTMAS- So I've been trying

to decide what to give my siblings and parents for Christmas. So I've decided

to do treat boxes. I'm making truffles, oreo truffles and peanut butter balls. I

know that the last thing most people need is a little more sugar but come on

the new year means resolutions right?

7. FB TO BE OR NOT TO BE-- I've had so much success not being on FB

that I am trying to decide if I should ban it forever. I think however I am going

to reactivate it and then dump a whole bunch of people that I don't need! This

should allow me to keep the upbeat nature that life is taking. No changes till

January 1st though!

8.CHRISTMAS CARDS-- So I changed my mind. I'm gonna send out

cards but not until after Christmas. I'm gonna send them out to the ones who

send me a card and a couple of other people that I am thinking about! Guess

I couldn't keep my Bah Humbug attitude very long..

9. STOCKINGS ARE HUNG-- My Martha Stewart side came out, I went

to Walmart and bought 7 stockings( the $0.97 ones) and a bottle of glow in

the dark fabric puffy paint. Well lets just say that for less than $10 we have

7 personalized stockings that glow in the dark(the kids get a kick out of it).

10.VOW RENEWAL PLANNING- So I haven't been planning too much

but I have created my save the dates and started working on the brochure

that I am sending out when we know the exact date. Very cool things and

creative to say the least. Also decided to do a bon voyage party for those

that can't take the trip with us.

Alright I'll limit this to just 10 today. But I'll probably be posting some more

stuff soon...

Trust is the name of the game

I've been listening to the christian station a lot lately. On this station they have these one minute ministry things from a group called Proverbs 31.org. I was listening yesterday and heard this one.
(CLICK ON LINK OR READ BELOW)
http://proverbs31radio.blogspot.com/search/label/Trusting%20God

Hostess: Lysa TerKeurst



Contributing Writer: Lysa TerKeurst

Last week I was up most of the night with a very sick child. Hi, I’m Lysa TerKeurst for Proverbs 31 Ministries.  My daughter Ashley was supposed to be competing in a State Gymnastics Meet the next day. I know in the grand scheme of life, skipping the Meet pales in comparison to many more serious matters. But, to her this was a really big deal. One that she had worked SO hard to prepare for. And now her body was too weak to attend. So trust was the word of the day. But sometimes trust is HARD. Especially when it means taking a completely different route than what we were expecting. Are you going through some tough times right now? Are you full of questions but short on answers? Maybe we’re just supposed to say, “God I don’t like this and I don’t understand but still I trust You and that’s enough.” For more encouragement visit Proverbs 31.org.

Well yesterday I found out that my cousin, who turns 30 in a couple of days, has
to have both of his legs amputated. This is due to complications with diabetes.
So after hearing the news I started to think, why would god take the legs of a
person so young, with two little boys? Why would he confine a young man to
a life in a wheel chair? As my heart filled with questions that I knew I would
not get an answer to, this little ministry minute came on the radio. As I listened
I got the overwhelming feeling that this was a direct message to just me, as if
at that very minute God was trying to talk directly to me.

I started to think that maybe he had heard my questions and although he knew
that I wouldn't understand why it was the way it was, he wanted me to know
that he did hear me and that if I trusted in him then it would work out. I sat for
a minute, in silence, thinking about my cousin and how much he must be full of
all kinds of questions, anger and frustration. Then I said a prayer that he too
would get that message and that even though it wouldn't make his life any bit
easier that maybe he'd be able to accept it and be able to move along the new
path that was before him.

So today trust is the name of the game. As things change and something that
I don't like comes up I'm gonna work hard to remember that I have to
trust in God!

Updates--Life's Happenings

So here is my updates for this last week. Just to keep everyone posted, and
to let everyone know what is going on in the Jordan house!


1. Finals, Finals, Finals- I've made it to the end of another term in school
which means that I am slammed with final papers, projects and tests. All
of this being due on Dec 23. Let's just say more than one bottle of wine
will be drank on Christmas Eve!

2.No Jamaica-The invitation for my brother's destination wedding came
this week. At a cost of $1,500 a person and a date of August 15th we
have been scheduled and priced out. That is about $10,500 and right
in the middle of football camp for those that do not know. I am filled with
 a mix of emotions over this, anger and hurt, sadness and depression.
 But life will move on and I will be ok!

3.No Christmas Cards- For the last 6 years I have sent Christmas cards
to everyone on my list, we are talking maybe 60 cards. This year I am not
sending any cards. With finals and a limited budget I don't have much money
of time to send them, besides I don't think that a lot of people should get
them.

4. Job possibilites- We have some jobs in the works. One of them will take
us to a very familiar place. I can say that I am excited and nervous about it
at the same time. Coach really wants this, although he won't say it. In all
honesty I must admit that I do too.

5. Let the shopping commence- Time to admit it, I am beginning to make my list.
If you don't know me this is a big deal, cause I am usually almost done by
now. But I am starting to make my list, filled with all the things that the kids
want. I'm only buying for my kids, and our parents.

6. I DO Part Deux- Early stage planning for the renewal is holding until I know
 about the jobs. Location wise we may be smarter to take one option over
 another that would alter the cruise in whole. When we know more, I'll pick
up with the plan again.

7. I resolve- Still holding sold on this. Feeling really good about things lately and
even the news of missing the wedding has not been able to rain much on my
little parade. I've been working on meditation and finding myself more focused
and a lot more relaxed.

8. Facebook Free- That's right you have heard that right. I have been FB free
 for 9 days. I miss it a little but have learned a lot about people that care and
those that don't. Interesting how people I never expected have contacted me
and those that I thought would, well they didn't..Helped me to set some new
 priorities for 2012.

9.Let is snow- It is Dec 6 and it has not snowed yet where we live(Global
Warming).It's had its cold spells but over all it is really warm here. I mean I live
about 10 miles from Lake Ontario. Meanwhile places like New Mexico have
gotten snow. I know that I will probably change my mind, but in all honesty one
of the things about being in the Northeast is that you get a White Christmas...So
I'm saying Let it snow!!!

10. Christmas Visits- My mother in law has decided she wants to come visit for
the holidays. We are really really excited about this. She came for Thanksgiving
and we really had a great time with her here. It is refreshing to have some time
with her and the kids are loving it when they get to see granny! Her affirmation
and support brightens my dad and I'm so thankful that she is the soul that she is!!!


Okay well that is 10 updates for you! Hope everyone has an awesome day and
I will leave you with one quote....

"The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or touched,
but are felt in the heart" - Helen Keller ...



SUCCESS

Doesn't this picture just make you laugh??? Okay I made me smile!!!
So what was I successful at, well I made it through 5 days without my
husband being home! I not only made it but I think I did really really
good.

When I say really really good I mean I stayed on target with classes,
which is no small feat considering I am in the final 3 weeks and I am
busily doing final papers and projects. I also managed to work on vow
renewal stuff(ooh more on that later!!!), the house stayed relatively clean,
and the kids didn't even stress me out too much... All in all it was a
very successful week!!!

I was successful because when Coach shared some news that might
have an impact on our future I didn't even get nervous or worried or any
of the other things that I have clung to in the past. It would seem that the
inner strength has been renewed, amazing what 5 days away from FB
will do for you!!!

To me the biggest success of the week was not even being upset that
Coach didn't want to talk to me for hours at a time on the phone, did I
ever mention that I was a little bit psycho in my young coach wife days.
Last week we talked a couple times a day for like 15 minutes. But in
all honesty I didn't need to be on the phone with him.

Another success I've managed to only be on the scoop once this week.
For those of you not in the industry it is basically a website/blog, that
college coaches go on and post "scoop"(a manly way of saying gossip)
about what coaches interviewed where, what jobs are being changed,
what is happening in football. It is pretty interesting and believe me
it is the way that everyone finds out about changes.

As it is football silly season right now we keep an eye on the changes
that are happening. I'm not saying we are looking to move again, but
if the right opportunity came along we would consider it. We aren't
actively looking but if Coach get the right call we have to think a lot
about it.

Lastly, I am successful this week because we are officially in December
and I haven't even started to worry about Christmas shopping or any
of the present things that would have filled my head in the past. I'm
taking a new approach to it this year. I'll get them when I'm ready
and everyone will get what they get. I'm not trying to find the perfect
gift anymore. It will be something nice and if they like it they like it.

So in short this week has been a great start to the resolution I talked
about in the last post!!! It was A SUCCESS!!!

P.S.Also be on the lookout for the coming blog post about our vow renewal
(In 2013--I'm planning early)

Changing my life

Please excuse this blog for a moment. As you have probably been able

to tell lately I've had some things that have been requiring a change in the

order.

I've been secretly struggling with it for some time. Trying to decided

what needs to be done and the best way of fitting everyone and

everything into the priority schedule that is me. After taking on way

way too much I decided in the last couple of weeks that it isn't gonna

be that way anymore.

So I made an early New Year's resolution. My resolution is to make

the next year of my life focused on my goals and bucket list. I'm not

totally sure what all that truly means yet, but I'm guessing it will have

some big implications in the lives of people around me.

First step was to deactivate Facebook. I find myself reaching out to

people, being friendly, commenting on their stuff, letting people know

that someone pays attention. Yet I get very very little of that in return.

So until I figure out how to treat Facebook and the people on it in a

way that doesn't monopolize my life I will not be using it.

Next step I am taking is that I am going to start blogging more. I have

set a goal of at least one new post a week. Maybe just an update on

how the world seems to be going for me, but at the very least it will

be a weekly post, maybe more depending on the inspiration of it.

As far as everything else I am working out plans for that. I have already

made some decisions that will change our lives. I'll start posting about

those things and choices in time. Right now I have to figure out how to

say it.

So the changed priorities will have some good and some bad. I know

that it will be both for me and I am finally ready at 30 to take on that

challenge and get what I want out of life. I guess people will have two

choices either they can accept the change and stay in my life or they

can have a problem with it and then be left behind because one thing

is for certain this train is about to leave the station with a new schedule

and you are either on board or left at the station....