tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36871143268524529092024-03-04T20:31:56.875-08:00Deborah MarieWhats On My MindDeborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11661619422230735645noreply@blogger.comBlogger38125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3687114326852452909.post-4579290661530122122014-09-30T14:13:00.000-07:002014-09-30T14:13:47.355-07:00Why I Scrapbook <em><br /></em><br />
I'll admit it. I am feeling in a funk today. Asking myself if there is something more than just waking up every morning, working as a "guest teacher," going to the gym and working out trying to get over a plateau. What am I doing wrong? Is it really just what I eat? Am I not giving enough effort? Daily questions, I continuously ask myself. <br />
<br />
<br />
I like my job but I do get bored. I like working out. I like my new trainer but why is it that the fitter one gets the harder they have to work? Ouch! <br />
<br />
<br />
Losing weight took a lot of learning to change my habits towards the life I really want. I am not there yet but I can honestly say - the past three years, I have felt like an onion...peeling the layers off one by one of bad habits and negative thoughts and replacing them with new ones and positive ones. <br />
<br />
<br />
I am not there yet. I have more to learn and more to do and more layers of the onion to peel. But I'm getting there. I honestly have to say - I'm getting there. <br />
<br />
<br />
I feel blessed to have this Guest Teacher long-term position as a Sped Resource Teacher. I love my kiddoes - even though I only have 3 on my caseload. I love my new trainer/s who are taking me farther in my workouts than I ever thought I could achieve. <br />
<br />
<br />
And these past 30 days through the 30 Day Challenge by Megan Elizabeth. I have learned that I really want to encourage others and to be an inspiration and to help others be successful and to be there for them when they start to peel back the layers. <br />
<br />
<br />
That is why I like to scrapbook so much and why I became a Close to My Heart consultant. Because as you peel back the layers - you can take your pictures from your past and share your story and EVERYBODY has a story to tell. And as you tell you your story through your pictures of your childhood, wedding, your children and grandchildren, friends you have made, places you have been, you find yourself smiling - even through the peeling of an onion - layer by layer. You begin to realize that you have been blessed beyond measure and the feeling of being in a funk fades away.<br />
<br />
<br />
I want to help people share their stories. So I am asking you if you read this - would you have a workshop in your home? I will come to you and show you how to share your story. And yep, I would even travel. <br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.mussacknotes.ctmh.com/">www.MussackNotes.ctmh.com</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11661619422230735645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3687114326852452909.post-41046696038572120272014-09-08T07:54:00.000-07:002014-09-08T07:54:45.910-07:00Monday and New Challenges Monday, Monday - oh how fast the weekend doth quickly fly by. <br />
<br />
<br />
Back to work again. <br />
<br />
<br />
I tried a new blogger site - WordPress...but after trying it, I still prefer BlogSpot. It just seems more user friendly. <br />
<br />
<br />
Starting on September 1st, I joined a 30 day Challenge by Megan Elizabeth from Above Rubies Studio. There are three areas of life that we are working on improving during this time – spiritual, health and growing our business. Getting the word out there about what we are doing. Sharing your stories. I read a quote today that said, "A picture without stories are memories lost." I really like that. In a nutshell it explains why I love to scrapbook. Thank you Cindy Cleaver (<a href="http://yourremarkablejourney2.com/2014/05/26/5-reasons-to-share-photos-on-facebook/">http://yourremarkablejourney2.com/2014/05/26/5-reasons-to-share-photos-on-facebook/</a>)<br />
<br />
<br />
This challenge is not getting easier. My goal during this challenge is to break a weight loss plateau and gain a few Close To My Heart customers and gain a few Team members. And right now - I'm beginning to feel like quitting. The excuses are rambling through my brain like a freight train full speed ahead...<br />
Have you ever felt like quitting? Why am I working? Do I really need to work? Why is it the more fit you become the harder you have to work out? I have a great husband who is an awesome provider. I could be satisfied with where I am at in my weight. But then I would never know if I could do it. And isn't that what Yoda says? "Do or do not - there is no try." The more I think about it - the answer is No - I don't want to quit!!!! (extra exclamation points for emphasis) Quitting is the easy way out. I will get through this and come out on the other side - shining as bright as a diamond that started as a lump of coal. <br />
<br />
<br />
Will challenges ever go away? Nope! <br />
As Miley Cyrus sang - There's always going to be another mountain. I'm always going to want to make it move. It's not about how fast you get there. It's not about what's waiting on the other side. It's the climb....<br />
<br />
<br />
And as Katy Perry sang - I am a champion and you're gonna hear me ROAR!!! <br />
<br />
<br />
This week - I noticed the school's scrapbook is falling apart. I am going to ask the principal if she would mind if I fixed it up. That's what I do. <br />
<br />
<br />
If you need any help with your photo's and preserving those memories or have a story to tell with your photos.... Let me know. Call me, message me, text me. <br />
<br />
<br />
#keepgoing, #30daybyME, #scrapbooking, #ClosetoMyHeart Deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11661619422230735645noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3687114326852452909.post-19000185894750658192014-05-27T20:48:00.001-07:002014-05-27T20:48:36.480-07:00100 Positive Things About My Life Part I<span style="font-size: large;">Today, my fitness trainer gave me a challenge to write a list of 100 positive things about my life. I don't know if anyone has noticed but I have been kind of a Negative Nellie lately. Too many negative thoughts bounding through my brain, from David being in Afghanistan, the house going back into foreclosure, and whether or not I look "fat" in a tank top - and it has led to some serious depressed moments. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Well, I am sorry. I didn't mean to cause anyone any discomfort if I have been too negative and I will take my fitness trainer up on this challenge and write this list of 100 Positive Things About My Life. (Feel free to skim - this may get boring). </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">See?! I did it again!!! Negativity! </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Okay - here goes</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">1. David loves me (at least I think he does).</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">2. Jesus loves me (this I know)..</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">3. Jubilee my little Malti-Poo likes to curl up next to me when I am sad.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">4. Journey, my little Chihuahua boy, likes to do the same</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">5. They cheer me up and I love them.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">6. I can run now - before I couldn't.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">7. I can swim now - before I didn't know how</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">8. I have lost 115 pounds to date</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">9. I only have 30 more pounds til I reach my goal weight.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">10. I like avocados.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">11. I love raw spinach! </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">12. I really really like protein smoothies with berries or cherries.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">13. I have a really comfortable bed.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">14. I have a roof over my head. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">15. I have a car that runs - even though the engine light keeps coming on and going off. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">16. I have a blender that works good. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">17. I have a beautiful granddaughter.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">18. I have a beautiful daughter-in-law who loves my baby boy.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">19. I have two adult children that still live with me - which keeps me company when David is gone.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">20. My kids living at home while David is gone keeps me from going "batty" </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">21. I have a lot of Vera Bradley stuff and what I don't have I can borrow from Kimberly.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">22. I am creative.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">23. I am really good at crocheting. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">24. I have a lot of healthy food in my fridge. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">25. I am learning how to budget my money and control my spending.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">26. I have some really good friends on Facebook.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">27. I have some really good friends in Colorado and Virginia and Arizona and Oklahoma and Florida and Missouri and all over... </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">28. I have an awesome sister - who is also my best friend.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">29. I have a great and Godly mother. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">30. I have three brothers that care about me. </span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">(Okay - this is getting harder) </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">31. I have my own scrapbook room </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">32. I have a lot of ideas to grow as an Independent Consultant with Close to My Heart (I just need to follow through with them).</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">33. I have a good job as a substitute that gives me flexibility so I can go to the gym and workout and lose this weight. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">34. I have a really good fitness trainer - who has been there for me during some difficult times and has helped me through a lot (He will be missed) </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">35. I have a lot of good support at Lifetime - who will keep me on the straight and narrow after my fitness trainer moves. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">36. I have a new touch screen laptop - which I like.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">37. I am starting to figure out Windows 8.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">38. I feel healthier now that I have ever felt in my life.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">39. I do not have to use my emergency inhaler at all anymore.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">40. I have not had to take allergy medication in over a year because I have not needed it. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">41. David bought me a video camera for my birthday. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">42. David bought me a Cricut Expression 2 for Christmas</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">43. I have made some new friends at the gym.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">44. Elaine is my friend and my movie buddy.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">45. I met Gloria yesterday at the gym - who has to walk with a cane. She asked me for my help and I was glad to be available to her. We sat and talked for over an hour. She is a retired school teacher of over 50 years. Who knew? </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">46. I live in America - which is still the land of the free and the home of the brave. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">47. I have lived in Alaska, Missouri, Virginia, Iowa, Colorado, Arizona and Tennessee. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">48. I have leadership capabilities - if I change my attitude</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">49. I can be an inspiration to others.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">50. I have a desire to be a writer. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I am going to have to continue this in part 2.... This is not that easy. </span><br />
<br />Deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11661619422230735645noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3687114326852452909.post-37839624088259387442014-05-22T06:26:00.000-07:002014-05-22T06:27:46.992-07:00Nutrition Challenge to MyselfSo last night, after my pity party of having to be gluten, egg and dairy free, I got to thinking. How can I make this nutrition way of life more enjoyable? Food sensitivities has become an integral part of my life. Since finding out that I am sensitive/allergic to gluten, eggs, dairy, yeast, malt, bananas, carrots, asparagus, etc. and eliminating them from my diet, for the most part, I feel so much better. I do not have the digestive issues or asthma problems that I used to have .However, I do have moments when I kind of stray from not having any food sensitivities and the same old problems flare up again. I have also found out that spiking my carbs and increasing my sugar intake can cause some major depression. <br />
<br />
Who knew nutrition was so vital to our wellbeing? It affects everything...health - physically and mentally, performance, endurance, etc<br />
<br />
So last night, after being less than perfect with my nutrition this weekend and feeling "blah" again...I got to thinking, how can I make this gluten free, egg free, dairy free way of life more enjoyable and bring back my happy self? Then I remembered this cookbook I had bought by Tammy Credicott called The Healthy Gluten-Free Life Cookbook ( 200 Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Egg Free and Soy Free recipes). <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-healthy-gluten-free-life-tammy-credicott/1106016688?ean=9781936608713">The Cookbook I am Using</a> She wrote the book because her husband had Celiac Disease. I decided that like Julia, in the movie From Julia to Julia - where she cooked all the recipes in Julia Childs cookbook - I would cook most of the recipes from this cookbook. (Some of them I can't yet...like Honey Glazed Carrots or Banana Bread - at least till I get to my goal weight - 30 more pounds - whoohoo!) <br />
<br />
So I browsed through the book and chose a few recipes that I will make this week.<br />
Blueberry Teff Scones<br />
Mini Meatloaves<br />
Holy Cow Short Ribs<br />
and Balsamic Vingarette<br />
<br />
Made a shopping list this afternoon and took myself off to King Soopers to find ingredients. What I couldn't find there I wound up getting at Whole Foods. <br />
Came home and made the Blueberry Scones. And did they ever turn out Deeeeeelicious!!!!<br />
<br />
I love when I make a gluten free, egg free and dairy free recipe and it doesn't turn out taste free! <br />
I am also really glad I had already invested in various types of gluten free flours. (I really recommend investing in gluten free flours if you are interested in gluten free baking and don't forget xanthan gum) The only one I had to go buy was Teff flour - which is more of a grain - and loaded with protein. <br />
<br />
The recipe made 12 scones. Me, JD and Kim tested one so I had 11 left - which I stuck in the freezer. In the morning, I will pop one out, put it in the microwave, add a dollop of my vanilla goats milk yogurt and cook two pieces of uncured bacon for my breakfast. Can't wait. <br />
<br />
Anyways, for those of you who requested the recipe...here it is. <br />
<br />
Teff Scones<br />
<br />
Dry Ingredients<br />
1 1/2 cups Teff Flour<br />
1 cup Sorghum Flour<br />
1 1/2 cup brown rice flour<br />
1/2 cup potato starch<br />
1/2 cup tapioca flour<br />
2 tsp xanathan gum<br />
1 tsp cinnamon<br />
1 tsp baking powder<br />
1/2 tsp baking soda<br />
3/4 tsp sea salt<br />
<br />
Wet Ingredients<br />
1 c coconut oil melted <br />
3/4 c organic evaporated cane juice or 1/2 c honey or pure maple syrup<br />
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract<br />
1 1/4 c coconut milk or other nondairy milk of choice (I used almond milk)<br />
<br />
Add in<br />
2 c frozen fruit of choice (I used blueberries)<br />
<br />
1. Whisk together dry ingredients<br />
2. In a stand mixer, (I used my Kitchen Aid), mix oil and sugar together, add the vanilla<br />
3. Alternate adding the dry ingredients and the coconut milk to the sugar/oil mixture until off the dry ingredients and milk have been used. Mix well. The dough will be very thick, but should be moist and hold together. If the dough is crumbly, add 1-2 Tbsp warm water and mix briefly.<br />
4. Add 2 c frozen fruit of choice and mix briefly to incorporate. Don't mix too long or the fruit will break apart and your mixer will whine because the dough is so thick! You can also knead the fruit into the dough by hand.<br />
5. Scoop dough into approximately 2 1/2 inch balls, or about the size of a baseball... and place on parchment lined cookie sheets.<br />
6. Press down on dough balls firmly with palm of hand to flatten slightly, making approximately 3 1/2 - 4 inch discs. Press more frozen fruit into tops of scones if you see bare spots that need more yumminess. Lightly sprinkly organic evaporated cane juice over tops of dough discs. <br />
7. Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes. When they are done, the edges should be ever so slightly browned and the center firm but giving to the touch. Deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11661619422230735645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3687114326852452909.post-10608681430867061892014-05-18T20:20:00.001-07:002014-05-18T20:20:41.721-07:00Deborah Marie: Who Am I?<a href="http://mussacknotes.blogspot.com/2014/05/who-am-i.html?spref=bl">Deborah Marie: Who Am I?</a>: What's on my mind? My identity. Since I started this weight loss journey over 2 years ago and have lost over 115 pounds and feel heal...Deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11661619422230735645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3687114326852452909.post-50243040360636123812014-05-18T10:55:00.002-07:002014-05-18T20:15:15.305-07:00Who Am I? <br />
What's on my mind?<br />
<br />
My identity. Since I started this weight loss journey over 2 years ago and have lost over 115 pounds and feel healthier and more active than I have ever felt in my entire life.. I keep asking the question over and over again to myself - Who Am I now?<br />
<br />
I have heard people say that the old Debbie is gone forever and now I am a "new Debbie". And then I have heard some people say bring back the "old Debbie"...the one that was happier. Well what do they want? Does it matter what they want? Was there something wrong with the old version of Debbie, besides the weight and the health problems? Why is the new version so much better? Am I not - still me?<br />
<br />
For the past two and a half years exercise has become my life. I have gone from barely being able to walk on a treadmill to running a 5 mile race in Garden of the Gods, a 1/2 marathon relay and a few 5k's. I never thought I would ever be a runner - but I guess I can say I am. I don't have asthma anymore...(well, unless I bury my face in a cat's fur, then there may be a problem.) I have gone from working out three days a week to working out about 6 days a week and I beat myself up if I miss a workout or, heaven forbid, just feel like relaxing.<br />
<br />
Even my thoughts of food are changing. The fast food places and all you can eat buffets no longer hold the appeal they once did. I make treks to the store because I am out of almond milk to make my breakfast smoothies. I find that the healthier I eat - the more I want to eat healthy. And the anguish from the guilt I feel from eating out or eating a food sensitivity is sometimes overwhelming. The "old Debbie" would've said, "Fast food? Bring it on? Not just one but two." The "new Debbie" says, "Fast food? Gag!"<br />
<br />
I still struggle with a lot though. When the numbers on the scales stop going down and start staying steady, the reinforcements of whether I am doing the "right" thing begins to considerably slacken and I begin to doubt myself. No one talks about the plateaus or the parts where you are left with "loose skin" and the feeling that the person you see in the mirror can't possibly be "you."<br />
<br />
The "old Debbie" would've given up by now. The "new Debbie" is in this until she gets to her goal weight and then for the rest of her life - even it means having to stay gluten, dairy and egg free in order to stay healthy. The "new Debbie" is still a work in progress just like the "old Debbie" was. I am still the same Debbie. I am still me. I don't like pulling weeds. I still complain a lot. I still battle with negative thoughts. I still am very high strung. I don't like to sweat but it's not so bad. I still like to stay in bed all day writing and reading. My body still aches as much as ever. I am still creative and witty and love God and my friends and family. But I have learned what I can do and I have learned that I am never giving up!<br />
<br />
I'm not where I want to be. I'm not what I 'm gonna be. But Thank God I'm not what or where I was.Deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11661619422230735645noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3687114326852452909.post-23589873646473487182014-04-07T21:57:00.001-07:002014-04-07T22:00:39.072-07:00Monday Musings: Last Weeks Revival MeetingLast week, Friendship Assembly of God held revival meetings, from Sunday through Wednesday night. I was able to attend Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday night. The speaker was Wes Daughenbaugh. (I think I spelled that right). Sunday night was the night that I got the most "take away.". The sermon was about the 12 Concepts of Faith.<br />
<br />
1) Every problem becomes a potential miracle.<br />
2) Any problem, big or small, has grace mixed with it.<br />
3) Never be afraid of external problems<br />
4) God is Always in Control<br />
5) Miracles are found<br />
6) God has preplaced possibilities all around you.<br />
7) The bigger the problem, the greater the grace and the the bigger the miracle.<br />
8) When God gives you favor, you can obtain help from others.<br />
9) Faith is served on a platter.<br />
10) There is always a choice between faith and fear<br />
11) A big pitcher can be filled with a lot of water.<br />
12) No matter what God names, you only get as much as you claim.<br />
<br />
What did I get from all that? Grumbling and complaining and having a bad attitude never solves any problems. God wants us to be problem solvers. When we have the right attitude, miracles can and will happen. There are two kinds of problems. Internal and external problems. When a problem happens we need to ask ourselves if it is happening because of a bad attitude, greediness, stress..some kind of inner turmoil. If it is we need to take care of the internal problem, then the external problem, which happens for our good, can be taken care of. I kept looking around for my nutritionist, because I could just hear her saying, "Debbie, control the controllables."<br />
<br />
I could really relate this sermon to my weight loss journey. Many times, when I am not losing weight, it is because I have a bad attitude, becoming fearful or having an Eeyore attack...poor me, nobody cares, pity party attack. When I learn to control my bad attitude, I can usually pinpoint more accurately that I have not had enough water, or eaten enough protein or had too many carbs. I can then control the external problem and fix the situation and the weight starts to come off again. Off course, without the grace of God, there is no way possible I could have even attempted to have begun losing this weight. It truly is a miracle, one that I have sought for and worked for. I know that God wants us all to be healthy and I am claiming a complete get to my goal weight, weight loss.<br />
<br />
Well...that's how I see it.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11661619422230735645noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3687114326852452909.post-33460310889971527282014-03-31T19:59:00.000-07:002014-03-31T20:08:49.255-07:00Monday Musings - The Way I See ItHmmmmmm....what is on my mind this Monday evening?<br />
<br />
Lots to think about. What shall it be today?<br />
<br />
I know! The movie Noah. I had a chance to go see it this Saturday with a friend of mine. I didn't realize there was so much controversy surrounding it until after I saw it. Many Christians are offended by the movie since it does not totally follow the Biblical story of Noah. The movie, after all, was produced by a self-proclaimed atheist. I didn't know that when I watched the movie - although that, most likely, would not have stopped me. After I watched it, I realized that many are refusing to see the movie because of what some of the reviews are saying.<br />
<br />
I say to each his own. But personally, aside from the fact that there were some aspects of the movie that didn't follow the Biblical story: such as only one of Noah's sons in the movie had a wife and the other two did not.<i> Genesis 6:18 says "But I will establish my covenant with you: and you shall go into the ark-you, your sons, your wife and your sons wives with you.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
And there were some evolutionary aspects to it. Such as God spoke and there was a big bang and the scene where the fish turned into sea creatures that began climbing out of the water and turning into various animals each after their kind. Well who knows? Were you there? At least the story of creation was in the movie. And a Creator was mentioned.<br />
<br />
And The Watchers seemed a bit far fetched - being stone creatures...who used to be angels of light that fell from heaven. The Bible does say in<i> Genesis 6:4 - There were giants on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men or renown. </i>Did these "giants" help Noah build the ark? Hmmmmmm... That was a big task God gave to him. Could he have gotten help from someone? I would still go see it.<br />
<br />
Aside from that and all the reasons why people won't go watch it, which are too many to list there was some take away value to me.<br />
<br />
<i>Genesis 6:12 - So God looked upon the earth and indeed it was corrupt: for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. </i><br />
<i>Genesis 6:8 - But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
Out of everyone on the earth...Noah and his family found grace in the eyes of the Lord. Wow! Can you imagine being told that the all the earth was going to be destroyed in a flood and you and your family was going to be the only ones left alive? But first you had to build an ark? And take in two of every kind of animal and gather all the food that is to be eaten for yourself and the animals? That takes a lot of faith. I thought it very interesting to show the turmoil that Noah must have felt. The guilt he might have felt that everyone he knew besides himself and his wife and his family were going to die. He was only human after all. Sure the story was sensationalized but it really made me think...if God gave me a task of that magnitude would I have the faith to do it? Would God send me help?<br />
<br />
<br />
And don't you ever wonder - why did Noah remain silent through it all? Even in the Bible he never asked God to spare any lives? Abraham interceded for the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, asking God to spare the cities if only 10 righteous could be found. Noah never asked God, he just did what he was told.<br />
Towards the end of the movie Noah finally looked toward the sky and surrendered to God. I will finish my task.<br />
<br />
<br />
I also like how it portrayed Noah and his family as vegetarians and the rest of the wicked world as "meat eaters." That's Biblical. When God put Adam and Eve in the Garden he told them that every tree and plant was their food. <i>Genesis 1:29 - And God said, "See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth and every tree whose fruit yields seed, to you it shall be for food.</i> Animals were killed and used to clothe Adam and Eve when they were cast out of the Garden. It wasn't until after the flood when God told Noah in <i>Genesis 9:3 - Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. I have given you all things, even as the green herbs." </i>Very interesting.<br />
<br />
<br />
Anyways, I found the movie to be very interesting and riveting. It kept my attention. It definitely made me want to go back and read Genesis again. Could Methuselah really have been alive during this time? And what exactly happened to Ham?<br />
<br />
The way I see it? Go watch it if you want to. Maybe, just maybe, it might make you want to dig into the<br />
Bible again and read the story of Noah. Nothing wrong with that.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11661619422230735645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3687114326852452909.post-77984938844379403842013-12-17T09:25:00.000-08:002013-12-17T09:25:29.173-08:00Just Thinking Thinking about all the things that have happened this year (and there was a lot).<div>
The successes I achieved</div>
<div>
The decisions I made (both bad and good)</div>
<div>
The lessons I learned. </div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
and would I change anything - except for maybe having a more positive attitude? - Nope, I wouldn't change a thing. I am content. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: inherit;">Not that I complain of want; for I have learned, in whatever state I am, to be <b>content</b>.</span></div>
<span class="keywordresultextras" style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;"><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Philippians+4:10-12&version=RSV" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: inherit;">Philippians 4:10-12</span></a></span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I do miss David and for financial reasons, he will be working overseas for one more year. (Sigh). After that he is coming home and if we have to move to parts unknown, to be together, then we will. Separations are the pits of the cherry bowl. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Oh well.... As Mary Englebreit aptly states, "Life is just a chair of bowlies." </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<a href="http://i.ebayimg.com/t/Vintage-MARY-ENGELBREIT-LIFE-IS-JUST-A-CHAIR-of-BOWLIES-Ceramic-COFFEE-MUG-1983-/00/s/NDgwWDQ2NQ==/$(KGrHqFHJCME8fP(UEqEBPI1UvKnD!~~60_35.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://i.ebayimg.com/t/Vintage-MARY-ENGELBREIT-LIFE-IS-JUST-A-CHAIR-of-BOWLIES-Ceramic-COFFEE-MUG-1983-/00/s/NDgwWDQ2NQ==/$(KGrHqFHJCME8fP(UEqEBPI1UvKnD!~~60_35.JPG" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
A New Year is fast approaching. I need a more positive attitude this year. This last year was tough. </div>
<div>
So as I sit down to make my New Year's I CAN list.... I will add - I Can be positive and have a right attitude. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I will also add:</div>
<div>
I Can lose the last 30 pounds</div>
<div>
I Can run a 1/2 marathon and more 5k's and 10k's and 15 k's and mini-triathalons</div>
<div>
I Can write a blog everyday... </div>
<div>
I Can work more, renew my teaching license and apply for more teaching positions. </div>
<div>
I Can go visit David in Germany</div>
<div>
I Can be the person, parent, mamaw, woman, God wants me to be and be proud of it! </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
My favorite quote from last year </div>
<div>
<b>If it Matters you make the time.</b></div>
<div>
<b>If it doesn't you make Excuses! </b></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<div>
</div>
</div>
Deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11661619422230735645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3687114326852452909.post-33542662320174311332013-09-17T10:47:00.000-07:002013-12-17T08:53:54.118-08:00 My New AffirmationWow..the time flies by so quickly. I haven't lost much weight since I started but the last I checked my Body Mass Index was down to 31% . Back when I first started this weight loss journey, my BMI was 45.2%..so its coming down, slowly but surely. Come to think of it, I did finally run a little over 2.5 miles the other day...WITHOUT stopping! Yes it was hard! But I feel like I have more stamina. It's interesting that more we do something the less effort it seems like we have to give. At first though...it seems really hard...really, really, really hard. But when you keep at it and keep at it...eventually, it gets easier.<br />
<br />
I just keep plugging away at the nutrition and the exercising and the running and one day I will look back and realize that my dream has come true. I will have hit my goal weight, crossed the finish line, and be driving a Mary Kay car. I like what my Mary Kay director said last night. Practice doesn't bring perfection. Not one of us is perfect. We all make mistakes. Practice brings progression.<br />
<br />
<br />
Oh yea! I became a Mary Kay Independent Beauty Consultant and I am really enjoying this opportunity. It still gives me the opportunity to teach. Only instead of teaching kids, I am teaching adults, (women mostly), how to take care of their skin and helping them feel empowered. I love it. I never cease to be amazed at the transformation a woman goes through at a Mary Kay facial. Literally, by the end of the free mini pampering spa facial with a hot lavender towel treatment (which I provide) she is literally glowing. And when you are glowing on the outside it's not hard to glow on the inside either. And trust me, I know how hard it is to glow. I once weighed almost 300 pounds.<br />
<br />
My next goal is to get my little mini effort bee pin....I really want an effort bee.<br />
<br />
<br />
I have adopted this new affirmation, which I will use in all areas of my life...business, fitness, weight loss, teaching, and as a woman of faith.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
I am Debbie. I can reach my goal weight. I can run a half-marathon. I can grow my business and teach those kids.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice,</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Hesitate in the presence of procrastination,</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Negotiate at the table of fear,</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Ponder at the pool of popularity,</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Or meander in a maze of mediocrity.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I won't give up,</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Shut up,</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Let up,</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Until I've stayed up,</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Stored up,</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Prayed up,</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
And paid up,</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
And become the person I was intended to be.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
What I think about</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I bring about.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Look out and have no doubt,</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
When I am committed,</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
That's when I stand out from mediocrity.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I will let nobody push my buttons.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I will let nobody rain on my parade.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I will go over.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I will go under.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I will go around.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
And I will go through any obstacle that comes my way! </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Because I am highly motivated,</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Truly dedicated</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
And extremely successful!<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />Deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11661619422230735645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3687114326852452909.post-24346936677808393722013-08-21T21:22:00.000-07:002013-12-17T08:53:28.814-08:00 My Theme Poem <div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I heard somebody read this poem the other day and it really inspired me. I CAN do this. I can win this weight loss journey and run the 1/2 marathon. See you at the finish line. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Figure It Out Yourself</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">adapted from George Washington Carvers poem</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px; text-align: start;">Figure it out for yourself, my friend</span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px; text-align: start;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px; text-align: start;">You've all that the greatest have ever had;</span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px; text-align: start;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px; text-align: start;">Two arms, two hands, two legs, two eyes,</span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px; text-align: start;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px; text-align: start;">And a brain to use if you would be wise,</span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px; text-align: start;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px; text-align: start;">With this they all began--</span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px; text-align: start;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px; text-align: start;"><b>So start from the top and say, I CAN.</b></span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px; text-align: start;" /><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px; text-align: start;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px; text-align: start;">Look them over, the wise and the great,</span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px; text-align: start;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px; text-align: start;">They take their food from a common plate,</span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px; text-align: start;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px; text-align: start;">And similar knives and forks they use,</span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px; text-align: start;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px; text-align: start;">With similar laces they tie their shoes;</span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px; text-align: start;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px; text-align: start;">The world considers them brave and smart,</span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px; text-align: start;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px; text-align: start;">But you've all they had when they made their start.</span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px; text-align: start;" /><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px; text-align: start;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px; text-align: start;">You can triumph and come to skill,</span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px; text-align: start;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px; text-align: start;">You can be great if you only will;</span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px; text-align: start;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px; text-align: start;">You're well equipped for what fight you choose,</span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px; text-align: start;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px; text-align: start;">You have arms and legs and a brain to use;</span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px; text-align: start;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px; text-align: start;">And the one who has risen great deeds to do</span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px; text-align: start;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px; text-align: start;">Began his life with no more than you.</span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px; text-align: start;" /><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px; text-align: start;" /><i><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px; text-align: start;">You are the handicap you must face,</span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px; text-align: start;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px; text-align: start;">You are the one who must choose your place.</span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px; text-align: start;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px; text-align: start;">You must say where you want to go,</span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px; text-align: start;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px; text-align: start;">How much you will study the truth to know;</span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px; text-align: start;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px; text-align: start;">God has equipped you for life, but He</span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px; text-align: start;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px; text-align: start;">Lets you decide what you want to be.</span></span></i><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px; text-align: start;" /><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px; text-align: start;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px; text-align: start;">Courage must come from the soul within</span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px; text-align: start;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px; text-align: start;">You must furnish the will to win.</span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px; text-align: start;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px; text-align: start;">So figure it out for yourself my friend,</span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px; text-align: start;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px; text-align: start;">You were born with all that the great have had;</span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px; text-align: start;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px; text-align: start;">With what you have they all began,</span></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px; text-align: start;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Get hold of yourself and say, 'I </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">CAN.'</span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> </span></b></span></div>
Deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11661619422230735645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3687114326852452909.post-32443457646685058682013-07-19T20:49:00.000-07:002013-07-19T20:53:05.103-07:00Bumblebees and Fitness Training The other day, I read a quote by Mary Kay Ash, which said, "Aerodynamic engineers studied the bumblebee and decided that it simply should NOT be able to fly! It's wings are too weak and its body too heavy for flight. Everything seems to tell the bumblebee, <i>you'll never get off the ground</i>, but I like to think that maybe - just maybe - our Divine Creator whispered,<i> you can do it. </i>So it did!<br />
<br />
My name Deborah means bee. Sometimes I like to compare myself to a bumblebee. I am pretty much sweet until you make me mad, then I can have a wicked sting. I do work hard. But I never realized that aerodynamic researchers thought the bumblebee could not fly. I used to think that about myself. Sometimes, I still do. It's hard to come from being almost 300 pounds, not being able to even walk around the block without having to call someone to come pick me up because I couldn't breathe - down 110 pounds without having some residual effects of being overweight. I still have to remind myself every day that I am not fat now...I am healthy...I am strong and I am never going back to old Debbie - the bumblebee that thought it could not fly.<br />
<br />
Because I can. I can fly! Just as the Divine Creator believed his creation could fly, I have had a lot of people who supported me and believed that I too could fly. I know sometimes I rant and rave about my fitness trainer, but really, next to my husband, he has been my biggest support. He believes I can fly. He reminded me of that again today, when I needed it. He said you can do it! And I did! I ran around the gym building - the whole building - in 6 minutes.<br />
<br />
How does that song go? I believe I can fly! I believe I can touch the sky! That's how running makes me feel when I believe in myself and when I believe the people who tell me, "you can do it!" Thank you to those who believe in me - my husband, my kids, my sister and my mother, my friends, my fitness trainer and my nutritionist and to everyone else.Deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11661619422230735645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3687114326852452909.post-53373565107658099572013-03-09T04:54:00.000-08:002013-03-09T06:42:19.103-08:00Warning! Blizzard Conditions! My phone has been giving off an emergency signal for the past two days. Warning! Blizzard conditions expected beginning at 11 pm Friday, March 8th. Of course, two days ago when the first warning occured, I went into a mild frenzy. Quick! Get the shopping done, run the errands, clean the house, get the bills paid. Scurry, hurry, worry, a blizzard is on the way! Colorado has had its fair share of blizzards in the past month. <br />
<br />
There is something about a blizzard - even the prediction of a blizzard that brings to me a sense of doom and gloom, an unrest, a disquietness in my spirit. Is it the bitter cold temperatures? The grayish tinge of the sky that should be bright blue with yellow sunshine? The dangerous icy roads that I must traverse, which makes me hold my breath from fear of spinning in circles down the road? Dont get me wrong... I like snow - after the storm. As Leslie Leyland Fields wrote, "We want the weather to break free from the centrifuge of our gloomy prognostications." And like her the more gloomier the weather the more depressed and self-loathing I feel. <br />
<br />
This week, a week of more blizzards, I saw into my cracked, pathetic heart and I was slain. I was stripped of excuses, the usual cover-ups. I was selfish, callous, no good and rotten to the core. Overwhelmed and wanting to dig a hole about 6 foot deep to throw myself into, I threw a fit and had a meltdown. I got myself into trouble and almost ended a good thing I had going. <br />
<br />
Is it the weather? Can I blame it on the weather? The never ending succession of ceaseless blizzards? Freezing cold nights and gray, doomy, gloomy clouds that drives me to the depths of despair, this wintry season of depression and self-loathing? A foul hatred of myself?<br />
<br />
All these negative thoughts bombarding my mind like smoke bombs clouding up my brain with mental fogginess. Doubting myself that I can continue on this weight loss journey. Doubting my purpose for being here. Do I have a purpose? Why am I a failure? Does anybody care? Does anybody listen? Why am I so alone? Why does David have to be gone again? Why do we have a foreclosure on our house? I can't do anything right. What's the point? Maybe I should just quit....problem solved?! And as the blizzard rages and the cold winds blow and the snow turns into ice, the tears fall accumulating icy conditions on my soul of bitterness, anger, resentment and disappointment. <br />
<br />
But through it all comes these opposing thoughts - ringing loud and true - warring with my negative thoughts. Hey! You! You have come to far to give up now! What are you thinking? Keep going! Look at what you have accomplished. Look at what more you can accomplish. You have a lot more to do! Fight the fight. Run the race. Keep training. Onward then! <br />
<br />
And then my fitness trainer brings me a checklist of my training program that he designed for me because he knows that I am a visual learner. My nutritionist gives me a paper plate that has my daily servings for each meal on it as a reminder to help me stay on track with my carb intake to help me keep my blood sugars in control. My gym buddies were willing to sacrifice their diets to take me to get a Starbucks to cheer me up. (We didn't. It was the thought that counts) And I am humbled once again. And they tell me...no more negativity! It's the positivity that melts the icy conditions of the soul. And I realize I am not alone. I have God. I have a great family and I have awesome friends and people in my life that are helping me make that transformation from old negative, sugar addicted, emotional eater, overweight Debbie to the new, healthy, vibrant, full of life, cheerful, positive Debbie. And I am reminded once again of how truly grateful I should be. <br />
<br />
I look out my window! Its 5 am. Six hours after the blizzard was predicted. There is no snow! Nothing! The skies are cloudy. There may still be snow today. The weather is hard to predict. So are life's circumstances. I don't know what either one will be like in any given moment. I can choose to cower or I can face it head on. <br />
<br />
I choose not to cower anymore. Let it snow! I'll make it through! <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11661619422230735645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3687114326852452909.post-42895442959633487472013-02-22T09:24:00.000-08:002013-02-22T09:27:56.606-08:00Keep on BelievingAm I my own worst enemy? I often times think so. I complain, whine, argue, think negatively, a lot... at least according to some people I do. And they are probably right. I am always and forever thinking I can't do something. I might fail. It looks too hard. The negativity list could go on and on. I am my own worst enemy when I am constantly berating and belittling myself and not believing in all I can do.<br />
<br />
I meet with a personal trainer three times a week. (Alex Beeding). Yesterday he started setting basketballs on the court at various intervals, 5 basketballs total, and told me to run to each spot, grab the ball, dribble it back to home court and shoot the ball till I made a basket. Oh and by the way, you only have 1 min and 30 seconds to do the last set! What?!!! I kept telling myself there was absolutely no way I could collect all the basketballs and do the required motion in that less of time. How could I possibly do what he's asking? I can barely dribble a ball standing but dribbling a ball while running down the basketball court - what is my trainer thinking? I could be 5 minutes trying to get the basketball into the hoop!!!!<br />
<br />
I could come up with many reasons (my fitness trainer would call them excuses) as to why I couldn't do this exercise. I think I voiced a few of them. Each one was shot down by my trainer. He's good at that. Always has been. Again and again, showing me how to do an exercise to demonstrate determination on how easy it can be. Each time I go ahead and do the exercise or activity that he gives me and I amaze myself. I've improved. I did it! It did get easier! Each time my trainer gives me that look that says, "You say you can't do things and then you do them effortlessly."<br />
<br />
He is always telling me that it doesn't matter what you are trying to accomplish, if you tell yourself you can't, you won't and it will all be because YOU did not BELIEVE in yourself. From weight loss, getting in shape, getting a job as a teacher, surviving deployments, paying off bills - YOU need to believe in yourself first before anyone else will.<br />
<br />
I'm blessed to have a fitness trainer to tell me these things. This has been his mantra to me for the past year and a half since I started working with him. He's not there to hand me compliments after the fact. Although, the occasional good job and well done, when I deserve it, is great extrinsic motivation. The lesson I learned yesterday, which I think finally sank in, was, I can do whatever I set my mind to. The same is true for you. You can do whatever you set your mind to.<br />
<br />
Believe in yourself. Remember your reasons and your goals. It will get done. Having a heart for something is the most important step. Take that step and keep walking. You'll get there.<br />
<br />
Its a work in progress.<br />
Keep believing!<br />
<br />
By the way. The last time I ran to collect all those basketballs, dribble them back to home court and shoot the ball, I did it under the 1 min and 30 seconds. It was the best session ever! I learned to believe in myself.Deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11661619422230735645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3687114326852452909.post-6358956875456293412012-11-15T21:31:00.003-08:002013-12-17T09:01:48.988-08:00Making It Through 10 Days Without A Fitness Trainer Okay...I can hear what you are thinking after just reading the title. Whats the big deal about being without a fitness trainer? Well, when you've worked with the worlds best fitness trainer (Alex Beeding) for over a year, who has helped you lose 75 + pounds and feel the best you've ever felt in years and then your fitness trainer goes away for a ten day international trip..a sense of panic may ensue. It did me! Now don't get me wrong. I am tickled pink that he took the trip because he is gaining a great wife and I truly wish both of them the very best. She has a been a big help to me too in my weight loss journey. I think the two of them will do great things together! Blessings to them as they begin their new life together. So to help me get through (tomorrow they get home), I kept a day by day journal...<br />
<br />
<strong>Day One -</strong> <br />
Not feeling motivated at all today to go the gym. Why should I go? My fitness trainer won't be there. How would anybody know if I worked out or not? I could so easily play hooky. Don't I deserve a day off? Take it easy, stay in bed and watch Lifetime movies all day? Yep, such is my thought process on the first day. <br />
<br />
I shake the mood off and remember what my fitness trainer told me before he left, "Be a problem solver." He's right. I can't let the fact that my fitness trainer won't be at the gym and my whole schedule has now been disrupted get me down. So I get up and set out to make my fitness trainer proud of me this week by working harder than ever before. <br />
<br />
Usually on a Thursday, I will go for a walk in the morning and do a water workout in the afternoon and then go to small group training. But today is all topsy turvy since there is no small group! What to do! What to do? Oh...I am getting that shaky feeling before I have a panic attack. I can hear my fitness trainers voice telling me to breathe and relax. I can do this, I tell myself.<br />
<br />
I get my daughter to walk with me around Quail Lake for 1 mile in the early afternoon. Then we go shopping. Afterwards, I head to the gym. I met a few of the other fitness trainers who were very encouraging and understood how hard it is to have your fitness trainer in absentee. <br />
<br />
I did good! I rode the exercise bike for 40 minutes doing intervals - starting at level 4 and changing it 2 levels every 5 minutes. Up to level 10 and then back down to level 2. I burned 251 calories that and rode the bike 7 miles! I think that is the best I have ever done. <br />
<br />
Then I did water zumba. I tried water zumba once and lasted 10 minutes cuz I couldn't keep up. It was a lot easier this time. Amazing the difference a 75 pound weight loss makes. It was also kind of fun. A different way to move. I'm not very good but I can only get better. After water zumba I did my abs in the water. <br />
<br />
One day down! Maybe tomorrow won't be so bad. <br />
<br />
<strong>Day Two. </strong><br />
<br />
You have got to be kidding me! I wasn't looking forward to going to Team Weight Loss class tonight because we had to be in Brookes Team Fitness class and Brooke is tough! Well, so is my fitness trainer but in a different way. My biggest fear in working with a different trainer is that I won't be able to keep up and that I will push too hard and injure myself. Other fitness trainers don't understand when I need to slow down...not like my fitness trainer does. <br />
<br />
And today is a blue day...I feel like I am losing interest in Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. So to get out of my blue funk. I take my fitness trainers dog for a walk. (I am dog sitting while they are gone.) We went for a 1.77 mile walk. It was really good. I remember when this dog was just a pup and would just ball up and cower on the floor and just sit there. Now he walks along beside me without a leash. Every now and then he runs ahead of me and looks back, cocking his head, like he is wondering why I am sooooo slow. His fitness trainer master is a runner. <br />
<br />
Made it to the gym. I rode the bike for 40 minutes again and then did Team class with Brooke. Brooke had us do a Farmers Walk! We had to walk around upstairs holding twenty pound weights. Brooke had to lower mine to 16 pounds cuz 20 pounds hurt my wrists. Carpal tunnel. Then we had to walk around holding 8 pound dumbbells over our heads and then straight out in front of us. Know what fitness trainer? I need stronger back muscles and shoulder muscles. That was stinkin hard!!! After each time we walked around we came back to our starting location and did 3 sets of planks, push-ups and wall squats. <br />
<br />
I did weigh in at 221.8 at 5 pm... that's a good thing! <br />
<br />
<strong>Day Three</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
It's the weekend already! Kim kept me busy today! Does mall walking count as exercise? I drove up to Denver today and back. It started snowing hard in Denver but by the time we got back to the Springs it was clear. <br />
<br />
My nutrition was not to good today...mostly because I ate out, twice. : > ( I did make healthy choices. <br />
<br />
I have made a promise to myself. With the holidays coming up there will be quite a few times when I will be out and about shopping. I know I will get hungry. So if I am with anybody and they want to eat out, I will only get a salad or grilled chicken and veggies. <br />
<br />
Sorry fitness trainer... I will run extra laps. <br />
<br />
<strong>Day Four</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
Sunday! Happy Wedding Day fitness trainer. <br />
<br />
Guess what? Your female dog is in heat!!!! Imagine that...you go away to get married and go on your honeymoon and your dog gets pregnant! <br />
<br />
No not really. She is in heat and we are doing the best we can to keep the male dogs away. Unless you want puppies? Too bad you can't email, text, or Facebook while you are away...sure would be nice to know...<br />
<br />
Kind of jealous today too. You are on a nice warm beach, fitness trainer, and it is 30 degrees today and snowing!!! No walking today. I am going to do an all over house cleaning, decluttering and organizing day starting with the kitchen and working my way around the upstairs. <br />
<br />
Is it too early to put up the Christmas tree? <br />
<br />
Saw Skyfall tonight, (the new James Bond movie), awesome, awesome movie! <br />
<br />
<strong>Day Five</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong>Monday...new week begun</strong>. I decided to change it up a bit this week and go to the 10:00 team class. Brookes class is still scaring me. Lawerence (aka: Larry Boy) is substituting while my fitness trainer is away. He surely can't be as scary as Brooke right? And plus David has the day off...so it would be nice to be home this evening. <br />
<br />
I rode the bike for 20 minutes when I got to the gym. Dani and Mike were there. It's good to have friends at the gym...keeps me motivated. I started my bike ride at level 20 and bumped it down one level every minute. <br />
<br />
And then....<br />
<br />
I did Team Weight Loss....OMG!!! Lawerence is a tough fitness trainer...and he doesn't take no for an answer. We had to walk sideways and backwards on the treadmill, walk at 15% inclines holding weights, squats, marching steps, etc. Totally different work out!!!! I almost lost it. Walking sideways and backwards makes my brain feel funny. But I tried to do my best.... <br />
<br />
Really, really missing my fitness trainer today!!! <br />
<br />
Did my water workout afterwards. Lawerence said to make sure I drink a protein smoothie before I did my water workout. Is that true, that working out too much will eat away lean muscle??? <br />
<strong></strong><br />Deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11661619422230735645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3687114326852452909.post-50709741139316068182012-07-11T10:12:00.000-07:002012-07-11T10:12:59.212-07:00Born to RunI just finished reading this book, which my fitness trainer, Alex Beeding, recommended. The book is about a hidden tribe, superathletes and ulramarathons, culminating in a race in which superathletes and the Tarahumari tribe ran an ultramarathon together. The book talks about barefoot running and how Nike created the Free Run Shoes and other shoes like it that help the body stay in alignment. It makes sense too... Our foot was designed with an arch...why do we try to support it with a shoe all the time? Do you see the St. Louis Arch being supported by anything? Nope. Because it doesn't need it. That is not how it was designed. The author, Christoper McDougall explores many different aspects of being an ultramarathoner athlete, what it takes to get in shape, how to avoid many injuries that runners often experience and nutrition. To me the book was very inspirational and motivational. <br />
<br />
The Bible talks a lot about running races - endurance and persistence - One might think, if God even wrote about running the race...maybe we were born to run? <br />
<br />
<em><span style="color: #0b5394;">2 Timothy 4:17 - I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. (NKJV)</span></em><br />
<br />
<em><span style="color: #0b5394;"><sup><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></sup>Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we'd better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we're in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he's there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls! Hebrews 12:1</span></em><br />
<br />
After reading this book it was easy to see how life can be like an ultramarathon. Right now - losing this weight and getting fit is my ultramarathon. It is taking a lot of endurance and persistence and faith...but slowly and steadily, keeping my eyes on the goal it's working! <br />
<br />
Yesterday, I ran around the basketball court. I ran! That is huge. I never run! I think sometimes I might be allergic to running. It makes my lungs burn and my legs hurt. The only difference between other days and yesterday was I so badly wanted to keep going. By the time, I got back around the bball court to where my fitness trainer was standing, I wanted to keep going...but I didn't know if I could...so I stopped. <br />
<br />
But I felt INVIGORATED!!!<br />
<br />
Alex said I did a good job and deep down inside I was thinking... Yeah! It really was a good job and I really liked it and maybe I haven't been giving my all to my workouts...so get ready cuz I'm going all out now! I'm going to do this! And by December I will be under 200 pounds!!!! <br />
<br />
I think...no, I know now...I have reached a turning point. That adrenaline has now been shot into every aspect of my life. I no longer want to be a human<em> being</em>...I want to be a human <em>doing</em>. I don't know what is in store for my future. Will I get a teaching job? Will I ever run a marathon or at least a 5K? I don't know! But I know, I no longer want to sit on the sidelines. <br />
<br />
So onward to new challenges - just like life<br />
Onward to sometimes feeling like giving up, and sometimes wanting to quit and sometimes wondering whats it all about - just like life<br />
Onward to feeling tired and exhausted and full of pain - just like life<br />
<br />
<br />
Onward to achieving success and victory - Just Like Life<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11661619422230735645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3687114326852452909.post-50534933303910717292012-06-15T02:10:00.001-07:002012-06-15T02:12:31.636-07:00It Looks So Hard!!!<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I read an article recently which prompted me to do some more research and I found out that it is, in fact, indeed true that most people perceive a hill to be steeper than it really is...whether you are looking up the incline or down. In one article, <em>Perceiving Geographical Slant,</em> the authors stated that "slant overestimation becomes increasingly exaggerated with fatigue". Test participants, during various research experiments, were asked to estimate the slope of a hill after a period of intense exercise. The participants consistently misjudged the slope, thinking a 5 degree slope was almost 20 degrees. The more tired, scared, frail or burdened a person is makes climbing the hill seem even more daunting.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Manitou Springs, Colorado has an Incline that the public uses for exercise. Once a one mile cable tram used to support the construction of a hydroeletric plant and a waterline, then turned into a tourist attraction was finally dismantled and what remained were the tracks that formed a crude, rugged stairway that ascends for 2000 feet. First timers to the Incline are often heard to groan and mumble, "You want me to climb that"? </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I climbed this Incline recently. About 2/3 of the way to the top is a Bailout Pass and I actually made it! But boy was that the hardest climb I have ever done and made me a firm believer in the above research. I shed tears. I wanted to give up. I needed a lot of encouragement and motivation to make it up this incline. I remember looking up and thinking that the way kept getting steeper and steeper. If it wasn't for my cheering section, which included my fitness trainer, Alex Beeding, his fiancee, Jackie and a friend from the gym, waiting for me at the Pass and a husband behind me pushing me onward, I don't think I would've made it. </span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg902RWNpOXMUQSkBgav4Ow-csvXMUA-Ny3JYSg_v5gP0yT0cyUsCZCZlX8jFtRj5E9TChuqyyVQL3ygfu5rzzTUMSkoeMnS7dowgs-ouH5jxX-WPTDpvFPiOqNkMowdYB4wGIx6VQCAHhI/s1600/Motivation+talk+on+the+Incline.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg902RWNpOXMUQSkBgav4Ow-csvXMUA-Ny3JYSg_v5gP0yT0cyUsCZCZlX8jFtRj5E9TChuqyyVQL3ygfu5rzzTUMSkoeMnS7dowgs-ouH5jxX-WPTDpvFPiOqNkMowdYB4wGIx6VQCAHhI/s320/Motivation+talk+on+the+Incline.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Life can be a hard climb sometimes. Sometimes we get burned out and exhausted and even a trivial problem can seem to big for us to handle. It is so much easier to just sit at the base of a difficult hill and stay there, convinced that the grade is too steep...but then we never achieve success. Life's difficulties are so easy to misjudge. We need courage to keep going when we are tempted to quit. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">This weight loss journey I am on is a steep hill to climb. I can feel myself getting burned out from eating one more dinner of chicken and veggies. I can feel the soreness in my legs and the exhaustion from one more trip to the gym. I am tired. I feel frail. But I can't sit at the base of Weight Loss Mountain or I will never achieve the victory. So I draw strength and encouragment from those around me, from my fitness trainer, my family, my friends who all say, "Come on Debbie, you can do better. You're next goal is just around the corner. You may not see it, the way looks steep, but we're here in front of you and behind you. You can do it. You can conquer this difficult hill." </span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNpzoNoIgeNXZmGD9V5S8Qj-vfNODVhCt_h2I2ic35STdqSTt1OQVCSpNZBBzpSTXwTsqDrInVwCMRCDl8K5PaDc2pcYlboYlEuOoF7dowJbRWxpJLryVnysVqZ3FsMFJ4ZUxu5Lolneqz/s1600/Its+The+Climb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNpzoNoIgeNXZmGD9V5S8Qj-vfNODVhCt_h2I2ic35STdqSTt1OQVCSpNZBBzpSTXwTsqDrInVwCMRCDl8K5PaDc2pcYlboYlEuOoF7dowJbRWxpJLryVnysVqZ3FsMFJ4ZUxu5Lolneqz/s320/Its+The+Climb.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">And I look up...and it does look steep. Very steep. Insurmountably steep...but then I catch a glimpse of the vision of being healthy again. I look at where I have been and where I am going and I say to myself....Onward then!!! </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Isaiah 40:29 - He gives power to the weak and to those who have no might He increases strength. </span>Deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11661619422230735645noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3687114326852452909.post-30877252446542867182012-03-31T10:18:00.002-07:002012-03-31T10:59:20.781-07:00Because I Care<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlcGMiFPOoOyGe-p0fT-Zfc-4NRU79DhwM4dApSirxayT4lo2ImpEuaCUb9q_Jk4IMctySh8vmqy4F7220pyGr-A-trRObuZ29ZIZywFQPVoWVyL3Z92gAS8pUEJP5ru7CbuqdTPMVJAx6/s1600/Because+I+Care.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlcGMiFPOoOyGe-p0fT-Zfc-4NRU79DhwM4dApSirxayT4lo2ImpEuaCUb9q_Jk4IMctySh8vmqy4F7220pyGr-A-trRObuZ29ZIZywFQPVoWVyL3Z92gAS8pUEJP5ru7CbuqdTPMVJAx6/s320/Because+I+Care.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">One of my favorite Stamp Sets from Stampin Up is the one that has the phrase <strong>Because I Care</strong>...useful for so many cards and so many circumstances. Just these three little words next to <strong>I Love You</strong> and <strong>I'm Sorry</strong> are probably the most meaningful, inspirational and motivational words that somebody may need to hear...Imagine getting a thoughtful, homemade card from somebody on one of your deepest, darkest days that says...<strong>Because I Care</strong>. I know my day has just then become a whole lot brighter knowing that somebody cares...I am not alone in my struggles...whate'er they be. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Charlotte Mason, whom I think of as the mother of homeschooling, who started a parent institute to teach parents how to teach and train their children, (imagine how well that would go over today), once said, and I am paraphrasing, </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> <em>The question is not how much does the student know...but how much does the student care?</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">How much does the student care about their education? How much does the student care about learning to read? How much does the student care about graduating from high school, going on to college? How much will the student care about being responsible in order to become the best person, parent, provider, proclaimer, etc. that he or she can be? How much does the person care about giving their very best?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Teaching the student to care should be the priority of every instructor and every coach (even fitness trainers)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I think back to just before Christmas when I was in TEAM weight loss class at the gym and there were only three of us on the Octane machines. My fitness trainer (extraordinaire) was skimming through my journal again and noticed that I had been eating out a lot....12 times in one week... I could see the look of disappointment in his eyes.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I remember him sitting across from us... and asking us students what he could do to help us...to really help us in this weight loss journey. I don't remember the words he said but I remember the look on his face. And for the first time since I had started exercising and taking this class, I realized that this is someone who cares, who really cares, and from that moment my outlook on fitness and nutrition changed. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">If you show the student that you care...you teach the student to care</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> Its not so much the words <strong>Because I Care</strong> but the actions behind it...the taking time out to go the extra mile, to make the card, to ask what can I do to help that really matters. The work is still mine to do - but knowing that someone cares - how can I not do my best? My best may fluctuate with health and circumstances and the excuses I can think of... but because someone cares my work seems easier... </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I like the saying<em><span style="color: blue;">....Sure life may give you lemons. but if somebody doesn't give you water and sugar your lemonade is going to suck</span></em> (pucker up...who likes sour lemonade?)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I care about my fitness training a lot more now... I don't take it lightly...and its because of fitness trainers and nutritionists that show they care that I am able to do my best... I can do no other.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I can also teach and show my SPED students that they can do no other also... </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Thanks for the life lesson Alex... </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div>Deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11661619422230735645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3687114326852452909.post-62234319239487682302012-03-24T07:44:00.002-07:002012-03-27T07:05:15.348-07:00Thinking About DadAlmost a year has gone by since Dad left earth to go to his eternal home. Happy 1st eternal birthday Dad. They say that time heals all things...and in some cases it may...although, I am beginning to wonder if I will ever feel less sad or less weepy when I think about Dad passing away. Him not being here on earth has sure left a great big empty spot in my heart. But it is also making me look even more forward to continuing on this journey and doing my best cuz someday, I know I will see him again. <br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">On March 27th 2011... after a battle with congestive heart failure, Dad made a right turn and took the exit ramp from the Kings Highway. His destination was heaven and the direction he had been given for the Journey was Jesus saying, "I AM THE WAY."</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Dad had traveled many miles before he made it to this destination. Sometimes his journey was slow, sometimes he was tempted by the many billboards and rest stops that enticed him to pull off for awhile. But always, Dad got back on the highway, never taking his foot from the accelerator, continuing to move forward, never looking back.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Dad also had the privilege, while driving on this highway, to be a driving instructor. He taught his five students to stay between the lines, when to shift gears, how to manage the clutch, the gas pedal and the brake, how to make minor repairs, change the oil, and change a flat tire. He taught us when to go, when to slow down, when to speed up and to never, never give up even when it seems to tough to go on. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Dad taught me well, because I too am now driving on this journey with my GPS set for the Kings Highway. Sometimes, I wish I was back in in the passenger seat with Dad in the drivers seat, especially, when this vehicle of mine needs repair. I know what Dad would say though, the same thing he always said when his vehicle was in need of repair.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">"Needs a tune-up, check the oil, change the spark plugs and don't worry daughter the Master Mechanic will keep your engine runing smoothly if you submit to His vehicle inspection." </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">It's a highway to heaven, none can go up there but the pure in heart. It's a highway to heaven...driving up the Kings Highway...</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">"And an Highway shall be there, and a road, and it shall be called the Highway of Holiness..." Isaiah 35:8</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">I'm on my way Dad...Thanks for the lessons</div><div style="text-align: center;">See ya later alligator...</div><div style="text-align: center;">After while crocodile</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDzgiBm6-1YebrIOQaUM721Ynt0Y7YEn4PBVuocclpfjBBu-dVHA11YWOs3WmkbeXmRBSZhF4vZrQR6CrPeeNChbMDZZyHubReiK1H380f0AIQpiUmJEc2BYMi21cBaSLFNGylY4DZlfJF/s1600/memorial+30.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDzgiBm6-1YebrIOQaUM721Ynt0Y7YEn4PBVuocclpfjBBu-dVHA11YWOs3WmkbeXmRBSZhF4vZrQR6CrPeeNChbMDZZyHubReiK1H380f0AIQpiUmJEc2BYMi21cBaSLFNGylY4DZlfJF/s320/memorial+30.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0b8kx3jiTobShZRMt-LRTEePnwM-UXwXyVOcwVsQChJexylI_tyKQrGACUdms6WL2m_QCCcsqqoCvWxPUDO9w-38lMK51sX8-iUDNLzwcyiJd1KrSNyDXwbAZWm7HuGn33BmmoAoItG9_/s1600/memorial+33.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0b8kx3jiTobShZRMt-LRTEePnwM-UXwXyVOcwVsQChJexylI_tyKQrGACUdms6WL2m_QCCcsqqoCvWxPUDO9w-38lMK51sX8-iUDNLzwcyiJd1KrSNyDXwbAZWm7HuGn33BmmoAoItG9_/s320/memorial+33.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div align="center"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2I2WcZ7m1AQKnM52m3iPe31XD5EfjF7urTkKXwG9hqHzBtqNYR07DFjJ-mn9jkCiXgbjBupUlbwvI_n00c6iwp0iQNbrHJB8pjcI2CT6OnOIN-weZ8NowbjWgywKxZU0etF1mWp-64ca9/s1600/memorial++35.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2I2WcZ7m1AQKnM52m3iPe31XD5EfjF7urTkKXwG9hqHzBtqNYR07DFjJ-mn9jkCiXgbjBupUlbwvI_n00c6iwp0iQNbrHJB8pjcI2CT6OnOIN-weZ8NowbjWgywKxZU0etF1mWp-64ca9/s1600/memorial++35.jpg" /></a></div><div align="center"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Love you and miss you Dad...Deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11661619422230735645noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3687114326852452909.post-31847286985402581402012-02-12T18:03:00.000-08:002012-02-12T18:06:34.910-08:00Finishing up Januarys Joy Dares (Counting 1,000 Gifts in 2012)Whew! Slow down... I need a rest. Last week we made a whirlwind trip to AZ so we could help with Marks apartment and David could spend time with his Mom. I got the chance to spend a few days and nights with my Mom and Sister. Had lunch with my oldest brother and went to the mall with my third oldest brother. So good to see them. Then the whirlwind trip back home and the Suburban's transmission goes bad. Very grateful for the prayers that got us home without a major breakdown on the road. David babied the Burban all the way home...took FOREVER but we made it. Brought home a bunch of memories from Marks estate...hard to go through it all and see the pictures he drew and painted from times long ago or the words he wrote and to think that this...his work is now priceless...We will heal from the loss, but we will never forget the memories. I think God gives them to us as something to look forward to...<br />
<br />
Don't know if it was all the stress, lack of sleep, allergy factors, or what, but I wound up in the ER. Apparently, I had low sodium. Hmmmmmm...guess I will find out more when I get in to see my Primary Care Physician. All I know is I have an extremely twitchy eye that started the day we left for the trip and has not stopped. <br />
<br />
Low sodium? Theres a topic for a good devotional. Reminds me how God tells us we are/should be salty Christians. "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt has lost its savor, how will it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled on by the feet of men." Matthew 5:13<br />
<br />
Amazing how God brings spiritual truths home to us...just one of His many graces.<br />
<br />
<strong>Day 29 - A song heard, a soft word, where you saw the light</strong><br />
<br />
85 - The song "I'm free from the fear of tomorrow. I'm free from the guilt of the past. I've traded my shackles for a glorious song. I'm free. Praise the Lord, free at last." Makes me think of Mark<br />
86 - Davids mom gently admonishing me, when I was complaining at my Mom's that there was nothing to eat and hearing her say, "Sounds like she just gave you a lot of choices" Ouch...grateful that God does supply our daily bread.<br />
87 - The full moon that looked blood orange...beautiful<br />
<br />
<strong>Day 30 - 3 old things seen new</strong><br />
<br />
88 - seeing an old Lifetime Fitness Center for the first time and grateful that even though I have a single-club membership they let me in anyway so I could do my workout<br />
89 - seeing the old Surburban sitting in the driveway...that car may be old...but we got it for a good price and it is carried us many miles.<br />
90 - seeing my mom and mother-in-law, they are old, but they are strong women and my inspiration. <br />
<br />
<strong>Day 31 - a gift found on paper, in a person, in a picture</strong><br />
<br />
91 - Found an entry in one of Marks notebooks that talked about his struggles in beleiving in God and ended with him asking...how could he not beleive? Grateful for God grace of a blessed hope.<br />
92 - Sabrina - she really did care for my brother-in-law...she is a precious gift...and has a beautiful smile.<br />
93 - looking at Marks pictures that he drew and painted...what a gift...what a priceless treasure. <br />
<br />
I will catch up on Februarys Joy Dares...later this weekDeborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11661619422230735645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3687114326852452909.post-19479444614711333862012-01-31T20:15:00.000-08:002012-01-31T20:22:26.297-08:00Week Four of Joy Dares (Counting 1,000 Gifts in 2012)What a week! What a month! What a year! And its only just begun. Eating wise, I made it up to the Day 14 of my 30 days of no eating out and then I yielded to the stress and pressure that the news of a dearly departed loved one had brought and I ate out...along with husband and son. Was it a sign of weakness? I don't think so...our hearts were torn up with sadness at the news that Davids brother, who had been missing for 28 days, had passed away from a massive heart attack, and had finally been located at a morgue in El Paso, TX. Nobody ate much of anything on Saturday or Sunday...tears, anger, sadness does not create a healthy appetite..but by 8:00 at night we knew we needed to fuel our bodies...we must carry on a memory now of a friend, father, son, brother, cousin, uncle who will be treasured in our hearts and missed so very, very much. <br />
<br />
It's hard to lose a loved one...what is about death that gets us so depressed and despondent? Is it the fact that we begin to reflect on the brevity of life, or how I spent my years? How will someone remember me? I can let the news of someone dying bring me down...it has tried to this week...the sadness and grief sometimes feels so overwhelming... or I can be grateful...Grateful that I had a chance to know this person, thankful for their influence in my life that helped to make me who I am today. A person passing leaves a big empty space in our hearts, which will remain void, until we too pass beyond the gates of earthly life into our spiritual life... I will miss my brother-in-law...his wit, his humour, his artistic renderings and writings, and his statuses on Facebook explaining to everyone how he made KartoffelSuppen...you could practically smell the aroma of it slowly simmering in the slow cooker. And until then Mark, I will remain grateful... and I will keep looking for those daily graces...cuz that's what its all about... <br />
<br />
<strong>Day 22</strong>: one grace wrinkled, one grace smoothed, one grace unfolded<br />
<br />
64: I look at David and notice the wrinkles around his eyes, his hair that is turning gray and I realize how much I love this man who has made my life complete. <br />
<br />
65: I love the feel of clean sheets...the smoothness and the crispiness of getting between the top sheet and the fitted sheet right before bed...makes me thankful<br />
<br />
66: I fluff out and unfold the blanket, straight from the dryer, the smell of Downy wafts upon the air as it settles over the bed... drawing me into a warm, restful, peaceful slumber...for this I am grateful. <br />
<br />
<strong>Day 23:</strong> 3 Gifts Found in Christ<br />
<br />
67: Salvation - John 3:16 - which gives us <br />
68: that Blessed Hope of <br />
69: Eternal Life <br />
<br />
<strong>Day 24</strong>: 3 things blue<br />
<br />
70: Smurfs<br />
71: the blue sky which means a warm day<br />
72: my new Ellie Blue Vera Bradley duffel bag <br />
<br />
<strong>Day 25</strong>: one grace borrowed, one grace found, one grace inherited<br />
<br />
73: Cricut cartridges that my dear friend has let me borrow and Cricut cartridges that I have let my friend borrow...it is good to have a friend like that<br />
74: happened a long time ago...but I still remember it clearly...the time when I lost my keys and my dear friend helped me tear the house apart trying to find them...we finally prayed about it and the next day, I found them, in the closet, in the hood of my daughters coat...How did they get there?<br />
75: my love for music, passed on to me by dear, precious Dad... <br />
<br />
<strong>Day 26</strong>: a gift before 9 am, a gift before noon, a gift after dark<br />
<br />
76: the sunrise<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg435X0Q1U2997bgGuwbrCLylXUptmN6HOfuB9ju5U92M7WWf_sf3N2rprnO28OqtJzTuPagpg2ZisqzDSWGWGx_FsPb6_nWUTqN_407ND5h_IKPtoS8WWt51mgRniS5zY4VKNJggYCd2Ro/s1600/mountain+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" sda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg435X0Q1U2997bgGuwbrCLylXUptmN6HOfuB9ju5U92M7WWf_sf3N2rprnO28OqtJzTuPagpg2ZisqzDSWGWGx_FsPb6_nWUTqN_407ND5h_IKPtoS8WWt51mgRniS5zY4VKNJggYCd2Ro/s320/mountain+2.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">77: a phone call to my mother </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">78: the promise of dinner, cooked by a dear loving husband, of grilled chicken and veggies, becuase he knows how hungry I am after a workout and he's giving me such great support in this weight loss and getting in shape venture...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><strong>Day 27:</strong> 3 gifts that might never have been </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">79: Marks art </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihDAZ_GxdwvYXtAotdfPJSLYBSxYSJCfIIhfMyz8sesyapoj5wzwqkSYPpKFAJH4kd_Pb6x15I2xMs80fa7CPsJre8E4f0ciSe3oFn_i-rI-7zIsqkoDGtcc1rsr84cjErJ5YwCe5YBJj7/s1600/Marks+Art.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" sda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihDAZ_GxdwvYXtAotdfPJSLYBSxYSJCfIIhfMyz8sesyapoj5wzwqkSYPpKFAJH4kd_Pb6x15I2xMs80fa7CPsJre8E4f0ciSe3oFn_i-rI-7zIsqkoDGtcc1rsr84cjErJ5YwCe5YBJj7/s320/Marks+Art.jpg" width="235" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">80: me - a survivor of bacterial meningitis for almost 10 years now</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidsVMESQifR473MRkFk1ZLRGS7mNbSy98ZINXGHEp7TMaEHh7kgfr7QRF1TBh4o3-Z_QYMpe-EiN6-DLtR_tN2jogtuGSw4bCreEPYDYo8S80QXWepbP8IJffhNyAcjqVSZTIB-OltTWw8/s1600/100_0893%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" sda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidsVMESQifR473MRkFk1ZLRGS7mNbSy98ZINXGHEp7TMaEHh7kgfr7QRF1TBh4o3-Z_QYMpe-EiN6-DLtR_tN2jogtuGSw4bCreEPYDYo8S80QXWepbP8IJffhNyAcjqVSZTIB-OltTWw8/s400/100_0893%5B1%5D.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">81: the free lunch we got at Chick-Fil-A because I made these cows using my Cricut machine</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihDAZ_GxdwvYXtAotdfPJSLYBSxYSJCfIIhfMyz8sesyapoj5wzwqkSYPpKFAJH4kd_Pb6x15I2xMs80fa7CPsJre8E4f0ciSe3oFn_i-rI-7zIsqkoDGtcc1rsr84cjErJ5YwCe5YBJj7/s1600/Marks+Art.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbLWx6Tfp6aLvQ_-RiWJvoDZy1hUrfbdqYugIdweHi3Qyy46dkFWdKZ8-u0dFgQF-UclDTlmMf0Y2DAGbVeSV1RPnWfRktNSaq8XW3B5D_DbND0vnv7xDEUGQ6jkj58rWN4FOvXCi32jHp/s1600/The+Cows+that+Got+us+Free+Food+at+Chick+Fil+A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" sda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbLWx6Tfp6aLvQ_-RiWJvoDZy1hUrfbdqYugIdweHi3Qyy46dkFWdKZ8-u0dFgQF-UclDTlmMf0Y2DAGbVeSV1RPnWfRktNSaq8XW3B5D_DbND0vnv7xDEUGQ6jkj58rWN4FOvXCi32jHp/s400/The+Cows+that+Got+us+Free+Food+at+Chick+Fil+A.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Day 28: 3 graces found in your friends</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">82: compassion</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">83: support </div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">84: inspiration and motivation (oh well that was four)...I love my friends dearly</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div>Deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11661619422230735645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3687114326852452909.post-36215506759019797602012-01-22T19:13:00.000-08:002012-01-22T19:14:57.807-08:00Third Week of Joy Dare (Counting 1,000 Gifts in 2012)I made it through 8 days of no eating out! Thanks to the support of family and friends who have helped get dinner done, helped do the shopping and didn't ask me to go anywhere. It hasn't been easy and it has been a stressful week of teaching at a middle school. I have gone through a few withdrawals, felt angry at times, felt sad at times, but always in the back of my head, knew that this is for my good. Heading into my second week of no eating out. The menu has been made, the shopping list written and the recipe cards filled out for whoever is cooking that night. Looking forward to a zucchini lasagna this week, where the zuchinni replaces the noodle. <br />
<br />
<strong>Day 15</strong> - one thing you wore, one thing you gave away, one thing you shared.<br />
<br />
43. I wore a pair of underwear this week that went south...first day of sub teaching at a middle school, right in the middle of class, whoop! There they go! Made me grateful though... cuz I AM LOSING THIS WEIGHT! <br />
44. I gave away some stuff for the thrift store. Thank you God for the ability to let stuff and junk go.<br />
45. I shared a Cutie Orange with one of my students. I had already had one and had one left and I gave it to one of the students who doesn't get much time to eat lunch.<br />
<br />
<strong>Day 16</strong> - 3 ways you witnessed happiness today.<br />
<br />
46. Seeing the scales go down another 2.8 pounds<br />
47. Watching my dogs chase each other around as if they haven't a care in the world.<br />
48. Watching the mom at the store interacting with her child...they were so wrapped up in each others love.<br />
<br />
<strong>Day 17</strong> - one gift that made you laugh, one gift that made you pray, one gift that made you quiet.<br />
<br />
49. Jelly, Kims chihuahua, made me laugh, she went to jump on Kim's leg and totally missed and kept going.<br />
50. When two of the students in the class I was teaching got into a fight. I prayed hard. These students are a gift...show them Dear Lord...your paths...the path of truth and peace...keep them safe.<br />
51. Giving my all during a workout...<br />
<br />
<strong>Day 18</strong> - 3 Gifts from Gods Word<br />
<br />
52. I will both lay me down in peace and sleep...for Thou Lord, only, makes me dwell in safety. Psalm 4:8<br />
53. I will never leave you nor forsake you...<br />
54. Stop with those shouldas, woulda's and coulda's...you know where they come from and the devil will not win...He will not get the victory! Thanks Laurie for that reminder<br />
<br />
<strong>Day 19</strong> - A grace in the kitchen, a grace in the weather, a grace that might never have been.<br />
<br />
55. My daughter cooking a great dinner of Pork Loin, with apples and onions, long grain wild rice and pan fried green beans.<br />
56. The weather warmed up so nice this weekend...it gave the promise of spring.<br />
57. If David had never gone to Germany, I never would have become good friends with Dani, I never would of heard about Lifetime Fitness, I never would have gotten the best fitness trainer ever....Alex Beeding<br />
<br />
<strong>Day 20</strong> - 3 gifts you saw only when you got close up<br />
<br />
58. Dog noses<br />
59. The price of a supplement I have been wanting to get...doesn't cost so much as I thought<br />
60. My students were doing their work!<br />
<br />
<strong>Day 21 </strong>- one thing in the sky, one thing from your memory, one thing thats ugly-beautiful<br />
<br />
61. The three Air Force planes, I saw flying in the sky in formation, fascinating!<br />
62. my dad... I miss him...oh, how I miss him<br />
63. Me..."If there ever were dreams that were broken and shattered...those were my dreams at the start, and the hopes for lifes best, were the hopes that I harbored down deep in my heart...but my dreams turned to ashes, my castles all crumbled, my fortune fell to dust...so I wrapped it all in the rags of my life and I laid it at the cross... and now.... AND NOW....there's something beautiful...."Deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11661619422230735645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3687114326852452909.post-47472153923291152502012-01-14T21:28:00.000-08:002012-01-14T21:28:04.641-08:00Second Week of Joy Dares (Counting 1,000 gifts in 2012)So the Broncos lost to the Patriots. Usually, I am not a big fan of football nor do I watch football very much or any other sports. I am, in fact, finally learning the difference between a touchdown and a home run... but this football game meant a lot. I had entered into a bet with my fitness trainer, Alex Beeding, which was if the Patriots won, I would give up eating out for one month. If the Broncos won, he would have to wear a Denver Broncos jersey all day to the gym and Tebow in front of all his TEAM classes. HA! That would've been fun to see... I don't think he is a big fan of the Broncos. Lucky for him - huh? Lucky for me? Eating out is a really bad habit of mine. I looked at my accounts tonight after I lost and figured that giving up eating out will save me about $500 a month. Wow! Anyways, Tebow might never know that the loss of this game was a "grace given by God" to me, which is one of my 1,000 grateful gifts as you will see later on if you keep reading...<br />
<br />
<strong>Day Eight</strong> - light that caught you, a reflection that surprised you, a shadow that fell lovely<br />
22.. The light of Gods love that caught me at 8 years olds when I first believed and at 14 when I surrendered my life to Him...<br />
23. My reflection in the sliding glass door, which made the dog bark. Wow! Thats me?! <br />
24. The shadow of the mountains at the end of the day<br />
<br />
<strong>Day Nine</strong> - A gift in your hand, a gift that you walked by, a gift that you sat with<br />
25. Holding a heart shaped Reeses Peanut Butter Cup in my hand and realizing that I don't need it, giving it to my husband and telling him that he could have my heart...<br />
26. Walking by Otho's Cookies in the mall, which has the best cookies anywhere, and having the willpower to not stop.<br />
27. Sitting with my friend, Laurie, at the gym the other night so I would not have to walk around the mall for 2 hours waiting for my daughter to get off work<br />
<br />
<strong>Day Ten</strong> - a gift that's sour, a gift that's sweet, a gift that's Just Right<br />
28. Lemons, they are sour, but they sure make my water taste good<br />
29. Cupcakes, cant eat 'em but I like how they look<br />
30. My children, a gift from God that is Just Right<br />
<br />
<strong>Day Eleven</strong> - 3 yellow things that strike you as fresh mercy<br />
31 - bananas<br />
32 - sunshine<br />
33 - rubber duckies <br />
<br />
<strong>Day Twelve</strong> - something above you, something below you, something beside you<br />
34 - angels watching over me<br />
35 - my craft room in the basement of the house<br />
36 - the love of my life, my hubby<br />
<br />
<strong>Day Thirteen</strong> - 3 sounds you hear <br />
37 - the fan blowing <br />
38 - the dog burrowing under his blankets<br />
39 - any minute now the sound of Dave snoring<br />
<br />
<strong>Day Fourteen</strong> - 3 ways you glimpsed the startling grace of God<br />
40 - the many friends and family who have reposted the news about Davids missing brother Mark<br />
41 - The Broncos losing their game tonight because now I have to give up the habit of eating out, which will hopefully not only make me healthier but wealthier too<br />
42 - through the eyes of a childDeborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11661619422230735645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3687114326852452909.post-29027392884518544132012-01-07T20:22:00.000-08:002012-01-07T20:22:40.638-08:00My First Week of Joy Dares (Counting 1,000 gifts in 2012)So this year besides the challenges from my fitness trainer, I decided to take the Joy Dare challenge (counting 1,000 gifts in 2012)...at the end of 366 days, if I consistently write down what I am grateful for...I will have 1,000 gifts. The link can be found here: <span class="commentBody"><a href="http://www.aholyexperience.com/2012/01/the-1-habit-your-new-year-cant-do-without-giveaway/">http://www.aholyexperience.com/2012/01/the-1-habit-your-new-year-cant-do-without-giveaway/</a> if you are interested in doing it with me... I thought I would share my giftsfor which I'm grateful once a week on my blog...</span><br />
<br />
<span class="commentBody"><strong>Day One</strong>: 3 things about yourself you are grateful for</span><br />
<span class="commentBody">1. my health</span><br />
<span class="commentBody">2. the energy I have to get done the things I need to do - like workout</span><br />
<span class="commentBody">3. I'm Me! </span><br />
<br />
<span class="commentBody"><strong>Day Two</strong>: A gift outside, inside, on a plate</span><br />
<span class="commentBody">4. Outside, we have a VW Passat, Jeep Liberty, Ford Edge and a GMC Envoy and a Suburban in the driveway and they all run...which reminds me I have a great husband who knows how to keep them that way</span><br />
<span class="commentBody">5. Inside, there are nine dogs curled up on the couch...they may be annoying and noisy at times, but they all love me unconditionally</span><br />
<span class="commentBody">6. On a plate, I have a no-carb dinner, grilled chicken, steamed veggies and a salad, which will help me become healthier</span><br />
<br />
<span class="commentBody"><strong>Day Three</strong>: 3 lines you overheard that were graces</span><br />
<span class="commentBody">7. Alex Beeding - "you shouldn't even want that!" </span><br />
<span class="commentBody">8. Friend at the gym - "we were talking about you the other day...about how funny you are" </span><br />
<span class="commentBody">9. Ben - "I love you, Mom." </span><br />
<br />
<span class="commentBody"><strong>Day Four</strong>: One gift old, new and blue.</span><br />
<span class="commentBody">10. Old - the music box of the girl playing the piano that my Dad gave to me on my 16th birthday...to me it's priceless.</span><br />
<span class="commentBody">11. My sign from Kim this year at Christmas that says...Keep Calm and Have a Cupcake</span><br />
<span class="commentBody">12. My snuggly, warm Smurf blankie that my friend Bobbie Sue made me for my birthday... </span><br />
<br />
<span class="commentBody"><strong>Day Five</strong>: Something you're reading, you're making, you're seeing</span><br />
<span class="commentBody">13. The Carb Lovers Diet Book...there is hope that life does not have to be carbless</span><br />
<span class="commentBody">14. the afghan I am crocheting for my friends wedding...</span><br />
<span class="commentBody">15. My little Chihuahua boy lying at the foot of the bed, sound asleep...</span><br />
<br />
<span class="commentBody"><strong>Day Six</strong>: One thing in your bag, your fridge, your heart.</span><br />
<span class="commentBody">16. Apple Pie Dessert gum in my bag</span><br />
<span class="commentBody">17. Bags of salad mixes, baby spinach, hearts of romaine, broccoli and cauliflower in my fridge</span><br />
<span class="commentBody">18. I really want to do these ten challenges... and lose this weight in my heart. </span><br />
<br />
<span class="commentBody"><strong>Day Seven</strong>: 3 graces from people you love (or like a lot or just have a heapin dose of respect for).</span><br />
<span class="commentBody">19: all the prayers from many of my friends who are praying for Mark and that he will come home soon</span><br />
<span class="commentBody">20: that Alex Beeding may actually care... when he writes in my journal - "No eating out!!!!" </span><br />
<span class="commentBody">21: the hug I got from my husband tonight...wrapped in his arms...what could be better? </span>Deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11661619422230735645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3687114326852452909.post-69418267313240026262011-12-31T11:14:00.000-08:002011-12-31T11:14:44.168-08:00How to Make a New Years ResolutionA resolution? People are making a lot of them at New Years. What exactly is a resolution? Resolution is a noun meaning the act of resolving. Resolve means: <em>to deal with successfully <strong itxtbad="1" itxtnodeid="203">:</strong> clear up <span class="vi" itxtharvested="0" itxtnodeid="202"><resolve doubts></span> <span class="vi" itxtharvested="0" itxtnodeid="201"><resolve a dispute></span> <span class="ssens" itxtharvested="0" itxtnodeid="199"><span class="break" itxtharvested="0" itxtnodeid="210"></span>b <strong itxtbad="1" itxtnodeid="208">:</strong> to find an answer to,</span><span class="ssens" itxtharvested="0" itxtnodeid="222"> to reach a firm decision about <span class="vi" itxtharvested="0" itxtnodeid="224"><resolve to get more sleep></span></span></em><br />
<br />
<span class="ssens" itxtharvested="0" itxtnodeid="222"><span class="vi" itxtharvested="0" itxtnodeid="224">I like those definitions! My New Years Resolutions will help me deal successfully with breaking bad habits that I have formed, they will help me find an answer to my dilemmas, and the last one, they will help me reach a firm decision about something I need to do, change, think about, etc. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="ssens" itxtharvested="0" itxtnodeid="222"><span class="vi" itxtharvested="0" itxtnodeid="224">How does one make a New Years Resolution?</span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="ssens" itxtharvested="0" itxtnodeid="222"><span class="vi" itxtharvested="0" itxtnodeid="224">First, decide what you want to do this next year.</span></span><br />
<span class="ssens" itxtharvested="0" itxtnodeid="222"><span class="vi" itxtharvested="0" itxtnodeid="224">For me, I have a list a mile long: </span></span><br />
<ul><li><span class="ssens" itxtharvested="0" itxtnodeid="222"><span class="vi" itxtharvested="0" itxtnodeid="224">lose 96 pounds by this time next year by following Alex Beedings 10 weight loss challenges and going to TEAM 3 days a week. </span></span></li>
<li><span class="ssens" itxtharvested="0" itxtnodeid="222"><span class="vi" itxtharvested="0" itxtnodeid="224">take on 3-4 sub jobs a week</span></span></li>
<li><span class="ssens" itxtharvested="0" itxtnodeid="222"><span class="vi" itxtharvested="0" itxtnodeid="224">get my own classroom by the fall</span></span></li>
<li><span class="ssens" itxtharvested="0" itxtnodeid="222"><span class="vi" itxtharvested="0" itxtnodeid="224">start a business with Kim - KD Whimsy CO</span></span></li>
<li><span class="ssens" itxtharvested="0" itxtnodeid="222"><span class="vi" itxtharvested="0" itxtnodeid="224">finish the Mary Engelbreit cross-stitch quilt squares and make them into a quilted wall-hanging</span></span></li>
<li><span class="ssens" itxtharvested="0" itxtnodeid="222"><span class="vi" itxtharvested="0" itxtnodeid="224">finish Destinys wedding present before June</span></span></li>
<li><span class="ssens" itxtharvested="0" itxtnodeid="222"><span class="vi" itxtharvested="0" itxtnodeid="224">start a novel in January and finish it by November </span></span></li>
<li><span class="ssens" itxtharvested="0" itxtnodeid="222"><span class="vi" itxtharvested="0" itxtnodeid="224">start a year scrapbook and finish my other scrapbooking projects </span></span></li>
<li><span class="ssens" itxtharvested="0" itxtnodeid="222"><span class="vi" itxtharvested="0" itxtnodeid="224">and finish reading my stack of books... </span></span></li>
</ul><span class="ssens" itxtharvested="0" itxtnodeid="222"><span class="vi" itxtharvested="0" itxtnodeid="224">Second, determine what this list will require</span></span><br />
<span class="ssens" itxtharvested="0" itxtnodeid="222"><span class="vi" itxtharvested="0" itxtnodeid="224">For me it will require a good dose of discipline, self-control, time management, organization and business savvy. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="ssens" itxtharvested="0" itxtnodeid="222"><span class="vi" itxtharvested="0" itxtnodeid="224">Third, break down your goals into smaller, measureable objectives. </span></span><br />
<span class="ssens" itxtharvested="0" itxtnodeid="222"><span class="vi" itxtharvested="0" itxtnodeid="224">For example, my goal is to follow Alex's ten weight loss challenges, these include </span></span><br />
<ul><li><span class="ssens" itxtharvested="0" itxtnodeid="222"><span class="vi" itxtharvested="0" itxtnodeid="224">eating rainbow veggies every day (red, green, yellow/orange, white and blue/purple, </span></span></li>
<li><span class="ssens" itxtharvested="0" itxtnodeid="222"><span class="vi" itxtharvested="0" itxtnodeid="224">eat 7-9 servings of veggies and 2-3 servings of fruit every day, </span></span></li>
<li><span class="ssens" itxtharvested="0" itxtnodeid="222"><span class="vi" itxtharvested="0" itxtnodeid="224">drink at least 96 oz. of water every day, </span></span></li>
<li><span class="ssens" itxtharvested="0" itxtnodeid="222"><span class="vi" itxtharvested="0" itxtnodeid="224">eat out no more than 5 times a week, </span></span></li>
<li><span class="ssens" itxtharvested="0" itxtnodeid="222"><span class="vi" itxtharvested="0" itxtnodeid="224">remember to take vitamins and other supplements, </span></span></li>
<li><span class="ssens" itxtharvested="0" itxtnodeid="222"><span class="vi" itxtharvested="0" itxtnodeid="224">no carbs or low carbs after 6, </span></span></li>
<li><span class="ssens" itxtharvested="0" itxtnodeid="222"><span class="vi" itxtharvested="0" itxtnodeid="224">practice push-ups, planks and crunches every day, </span></span></li>
<li><span class="ssens" itxtharvested="0" itxtnodeid="222"><span class="vi" itxtharvested="0" itxtnodeid="224">do something extra (water aerobics, extra walks, lifting weights)</span></span></li>
<li><span class="ssens" itxtharvested="0" itxtnodeid="222"><span class="vi" itxtharvested="0" itxtnodeid="224"> and no more than 3 sweets a week</span></span><span class="ssens" itxtharvested="0" itxtnodeid="222"><span class="vi" itxtharvested="0" itxtnodeid="224"> </span></span></li>
</ul><span class="ssens" itxtharvested="0" itxtnodeid="222"><span class="vi" itxtharvested="0" itxtnodeid="224">oops, thats only nine... whats the other one? Anyways, all those little objectives look hard unless I make them measurable...making them measurable involves deciding how often I need to do this...every day or a few times a week? </span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="ssens" itxtharvested="0" itxtnodeid="222"><span class="vi" itxtharvested="0" itxtnodeid="224">Finally, make your resolutions to help you change the habit, thought process, etc. to help you accomplish your goals</span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="ssens" itxtharvested="0" itxtnodeid="222"><span class="vi" itxtharvested="0" itxtnodeid="224">Therefore, knowing that I want to do all of the above I therefore resolve: </span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="ssens" itxtharvested="0" itxtnodeid="222"><span class="vi" itxtharvested="0" itxtnodeid="224">to change my negative thinking to positive thinking...I can do this! I am strong! I am creative! Nothing is gonna stop me now! </span></span><br />
<span class="ssens" itxtharvested="0" itxtnodeid="222"><span class="vi" itxtharvested="0" itxtnodeid="224">I resolve to purge out old habits and replace them with healthier habits.</span></span><br />
<span class="ssens" itxtharvested="0" itxtnodeid="222"><span class="vi" itxtharvested="0" itxtnodeid="224">I resolve to let no negative excuse slip from my lips... </span></span><br />
<span class="ssens" itxtharvested="0" itxtnodeid="222"><span class="vi" itxtharvested="0" itxtnodeid="224">I resolve to wake up earlier so I can have more time in the day to plan and prepare</span></span><br />
<span class="ssens" itxtharvested="0" itxtnodeid="222"><span class="vi" itxtharvested="0" itxtnodeid="224">I resolve to declutter my belongings and sell, give away or throw away anything that hinders me from accomplishing my goals.</span></span><br />
<span class="ssens" itxtharvested="0" itxtnodeid="222"><span class="vi" itxtharvested="0" itxtnodeid="224">I resolve to set aside time each week to work on my crafty projects and writing.</span></span><br />
<span class="ssens" itxtharvested="0" itxtnodeid="222"><span class="vi" itxtharvested="0" itxtnodeid="224">I resolve to spend money wisely buying no more new books until I finish the ones I need to read.</span></span><br />
<span class="ssens" itxtharvested="0" itxtnodeid="222"><span class="vi" itxtharvested="0" itxtnodeid="224">Finally, I resolve to not forsake my relationships with God, my family and my friends...they are my reason for living... </span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="ssens" itxtharvested="0" itxtnodeid="222"><span class="vi" itxtharvested="0" itxtnodeid="224">And most of all... always remember this: </span></span><br />
<span class="ssens" itxtharvested="0" itxtnodeid="222"><span class="vi" itxtharvested="0" itxtnodeid="224"><strong>If it matters you make the time.</strong></span></span><br />
<span class="ssens" itxtharvested="0" itxtnodeid="222"><span class="vi" itxtharvested="0" itxtnodeid="224"><strong>If it doesn't you'll make excuses...</strong></span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="ssens" itxtharvested="0" itxtnodeid="222"><span class="vi" itxtharvested="0" itxtnodeid="224">That's why most New Years Resolutions ends so quickly... most of us are really good at making excuses...</span></span>Deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11661619422230735645noreply@blogger.com0