A Whole Lot of Nothing

The new computer which resides in my parent's home has arrived! Yea! This wouldn't be so exciting to me except for the fact that other than work and my phone it's my only connection to the Internet. And let me say it is sooooo fast. Wow! Granted anything compared to what they had last is going to blow me away. It's so nice to be able to upload a picture to blogger and not have to wait a couple minutes for it to appear. I sure could get use to this.


Thursday was a big electronic day for my parents. Let me back up a bit...Last weekend when they went to buy a computer they also wanted to buy a new TV for their bedroom and a Nintendo Wii. OK, I might have persuaded them a little on the Wii. I'm not a gamer AT ALL but the idea of Wii Fit and other workout options on there is very appealing to me. So, where was I? Oh yeah, last Saturday while inquiring about the computer we learned they were sold out. Apparently they can't keep these things in stock. So Mr. Unfriendly Computer Geek (I mean that in a respectful way I assure you) informed us it would have to be purchased online. OK, no biggie. Next we headed over to the TVs. Again, out of stock so you'll have to order. Alright, again no biggie. Let's go check out the Wii. Strike 3, no Wii consoles in sight. And come to find out they appeared to be out everywhere. My dad made the comment that day that he has never had more trouble spending money in his life. I agreed.

That brings me back to Thursday. The computer arrived on their door step and my dad received a call his TV was in as well. He and my mom went to pick it up and while there lo and behold what did they find on the floor in the game aisle? Yep, a Wii. Jackpot! I naturally invited myself to my parent's house on Thursday to see and "help" with the new toys. When I got there the computer was already almost set up but I think my favorite sight was the Wii.

I'm really going to enjoy the option of not getting up at 4:40 am to go to the gym and instead heading to my parent's house instead for a workout. You see the gym we attend is nice and CHEAP so there are TONS of people who workout there. That means that if I want to get "my" machine I need to be there by 5:00am. Some days that's just miserable. So now I can sleep in a little and hop on over to my parent's house for a workout. Since they live about 5 minutes from me I think it will work out well. Besides isn't it better to have a variety of workouts anyway?? Don't fret Jenna I will still continue meeting with Jillian on my lunch breaks.



And ya know if ever I get to my parent's house in the mornings and decide I'm too tired. I can just hop in their bed and watch the news on their new TV until work time. OK...Probably not but I could if I wanted.

Here Dad is trying to get it set up. Bless his heart. He is soooo smart in so many things but sometimes big new electronics really try his patience. Luckily the TV was relatively easy to get going.

All things electronic are up and running. I'm just waiting on stores to restock Wii Fit and I'm on it. A person at a store that should remain nameless gave me a little piece of insider information. His retail employer is to be receiving 14 on a particular day in the near future. I politely asked him not to share that with anyone else!

Now let us move onto Friday night...date night. I love date nights and I really love date nights when they involve dinner and Sam's. Last night we went to eat at Applebee's. I'll be honest we NEVER eat there. It's just not a place that comes to mind. Not to mention the few times I've been to one I've had bad experiences. We went last night because someone had given us a gift card for Christmas. And let me tell you it was really good. I left there feeling satisfied but not miserable. What a good feeling.

After dinner we went to Sam's. Yea! I had been dreaming of all the neat things we would find there to bring home. We walked through every food aisle, through the bakery, freezer cases, produce, books, and electronics. All of that and this is all we have to show for our trip...

I was really happy when I realized the three things I bought were green, my favorite color. I posted this picture on Twitter and Kelly noticed the same thing. She and I also noticed these are 3 healthy items. That is so not like me. Normally there would be the three healthy things and a tray of brownies right next to them. My how times have changes.

The past couple of weeks I've really been trying to make good choices. I've shared about that on here before so I won't bore you. It's just that everything I picked up either was low in fiber, had partially hydrogenated fat listed close to the top in the ingredient list, artificial sweeteners, was full of sodium, etc. I'm not going crazy at all but just trying to be conscious of things. I opted not to buy any of those things in bulk. Plus some of the things I would have bought really weren't that cheap so I decided to wait.

Speaking of food and making better choices I have something else to share. Most of you know I LOVE sweets. I mean I LIVE FOR ALL THINGS SUGAR. Because of this figured it was time to cut back on that as well. So now I allow myself one good dessert a week. It gives me something to look forward to but doesn't sabotage my efforts to be healthy. I want to share what I chose this week.

Wednesday night I saw on the news about a small cheesecake bakery near Little Rock. It's called Cabot Cheese Cake Corner. My parents made a trip there Friday afternoon and picked me up a slice of Pina Colada cheesecake. Oh. My. Word. It was so good! I actually called in our pick up order and I'm glad I did. By the time my parents arrived there around 12:30 the sweet lady was sold out. They are THAT good. I don't like cheesecake as much as I do cupcakes but I think these are a close second.

OK, so there you have it. For a whole lot of nothing I sure have managed to ramble. Currently I'm at my parent's house doing laundry and trying to talk myself into working out with Jillian. We shall see...

Enjoy the sunshine!

Checking In...

One reason my blogging is so sporadic is because Josh and I do not have Internet where we live. I know, crazy right? Well in attempts to stay true to our budget (and Dave Ramsey) we decided that it wasn't a necessity when we first moved into our home. In order for me to blog I go to my parent's house either on my lunch break or on the weekends and blog. This past Friday was no different. I sat down at my parent's computer to blog only to find out their computer was DEAD. Oh it appeared to be working but it was acting all nuts and wouldn't let me do a thing. Apparently it had been past the point of no return the entire week but I didn't know about it. It's been on the verge of dying anyway so it was only a matter of time. My mom told my dad she was fine with a messed up computer until it got so bad she couldn't read blogs or get on Facebook. :) Well that time came this last week and she had had it. So all that to say my parents have bought a new computer. Yea. The only problem is that it won't arrive until the next 5-7 days. So what's that mean to you? Well it means that if you're expecting an update from me you probably won't get one, with pictures at least, for about a week or so. I am currently using the computer in Josh's office at church but I won't have to opportunity to do that either for the rest of the week. I realize that this computer crisis only affects about 7 people total but I didn't want all 7 of you readers to worry. I will be back in action soon. In the mean time, while I'm not blogging, I've got Jillian Michaels and "The Shred" to keep me busy on my lunch breaks. Not to mention all the sewing projects I'm behind on. So long for now...

My Valentine

I wanted to post something for Valentine's Day but I wasn't sure what until I read Laurie's blog yesterday. I also want to share about my Valentine and how we met.

Before I go into the details let me give you some background on my relationship history. That won't take long because honestly there is no history. Before Josh I NEVER had an official "boyfriend." There were a few guys along the way I thought I might like but nothing ever really worked out. I was every one's friend and no one's girlfriend. After college as almost everyone of my friends started getting engaged I started getting depressed. Not only was I not engaged the possibility of love seemed so far out of my reach. It was something that happened to everyone else besides me. The LORD had favor on me though and provided me with great friends throughout the journey that could relate to where I was in life. We did lots of things as single girls and had the best time and made lasting memories. The only problem was slowly but surely they all started getting married too. As happy as I was each time a friend of mine got married the knots in my stomach were always there. The feeling that someone knocked the breath out of me was an unwelcomed companion. I just got used to it. I was at a point in my life where I believed that the Lord would change my desires to get married or he would fulfil them. I had to cling to that because it was the essence of my hope and its what kept me from growing crazy. I made a decision to "Wait for the Lord. Be strong and take heart, and wait for the Lord." Psalm 27:14

The fall of 2006 was a neat time for me. I started helping lead a college girl's bible through the BCM at the University of Arkansas. I loved being a part of such a fun group. Little did I know what all I'd get out of it. One Sunday afternoon in mid-November I got an e-mail from one of the girls in my bible study. She said she had a friend she wanted to see if I'd be interested in meeting. She helped with the youth at a church in Lamar at one time and she thought the youth pastor and I would be a good match. What single girl in their right mind doesn't say yes to something like that? It helped that she included a picture of him and I thought he was super cute. I actually thought he was probably out of my league but decided to see what happened. I'm a little embarrassed to admit this but our first communication was on Facebook. :) It was actually a great thing because I could learn a lot about him just from looking at his page. So we started talking through messages and then eventually he called me. Our first date was December 15, 2006. To say that it was love at first sight or that I knew he was the one from the beginning would be a lie. Honestly it took me a while. A lot of it was me trying to get over myself and just let the Lord do what the Lord wanted to do. Josh knew before I did that he wanted to marry me but it took me until November of 2007 to know that I wanted to marry him. I think a lot of it had to do with the idea that although I had always wanted to be married I never ever thought it would happen to me. I'm sure that was just a defense mechanism but it sure made it hard to have a successful relationship. Luckily I got over myself and on January 14th, 2008 I said "yes" to marry Josh. We were married on September 19, 2008.

Still to this day I will wake up and think to myself, "Is this for real? Am I really married?" I don't know why it is still hard for me to believe but it is. To want something so bad and to think I might not ever get it has kept me pinching myself. I say all of this for two reasons. One because I am so thankful the Lord answered my prayers and brought me a godly husband who adores me. I'll never deserve him. And two because I have several single friends, in real life and through blogs, that I pray God will answer prayers for as well. Sometimes I get down right angry because of all the great single ladies I know and how badly I want for them to be married. It doesn't make sense to me at all but I know God is good. I'm praying for hope for each and every person who wants to be married. I'm praying for peace throughout the waiting. And I'm praying God will bless your socks off. He delights in you!

So having said all that the only thing left to say is, I love you, Valentine!

Enough Said...

Happy Valentine's Day!

Better Get Started

When I first heard about Beth Moore's new book, So Long Insecurity I KNEW I had to have it. I mean who doesn't struggle with insecurity?!?

At first I remember thinking, "Wow, this will be a great read and one I'm sure I can use." I think now having really thought about "insecurity" I realize I'm about to get myself into something big. I started thinking about the areas of my life affected by insecurity and looks like just about everything comes back to it in some way or fashion. Whoa. How is that? I guess it has been such a part of my life that I assumed it was natural. Hello?!?!? It is so not the way to live and I KNOW God did not intend us to be prisioners of it. He calls us to live lives of freedom and by golly that's how we should live. Do you realize how being free from the "I" word could totally change your life, relationships, ministry, etc? Thank goodness Josh was willing to pick me up a copy last night after work (I should probably work on patience too because I didn't want to wait for it to come in the mail). I'm so excited and nervous to get started. I encourage all of you to get a copy yourself and get busy reading.

As if reading the book itself isn't enough. God has so graciously provided a way for me to get to see and hear Beth herself talk on the subject in April in Atlanta. I'm still shocked that the desire to share in that has become a reality. How amazing to be a part of that and to be able to experience it with so many other believers who struggle with the same thing!

Oh just wait...that's not it. Not only do I get to see Beth in April I get to meet lots of fun bloggers I have loved for a long time. Bloggers are such a neat community and the thought of meeting some that I've spent so long reading about is beyond me. I can hardly contain myself.

And I've saved the best to last...Not only do I get to see Beth speak on inseurity, and not only do I get to meet some fun bloggers, I get to travel and spend time with a couple of my best friends who I hardly get to see anymore. You can't possibly know how much it means to me. Once I moved to Little Rock I left some really close friends behind and entered into a new chapter of my life as a minister's wife. I love my life but as some of you can guess when you're in the ministry there isn't always the opportunity to get super close to people. It's almost like there's always a line you shouldn't cross in order to protect yourself, your husband, and your ministry. Because of that, at times its been hard being away from the people who know me the best (Thank goodness the Lord saw favor on me and made sure I had at least one good friend, a minister's wife no less, here with me along the way). So I feel like I need to hear about insecurity and I need to meet other bloggers but I also need a good girls weekend away.

So having said all that I'm beyond excited about going to Atlanta in April. There are still a few overflow tickets left so if you can go you really go. I know there are also churches hosting simulcasts of the event so if you can't make it to Atlanta I'm sure there is a church near you where you could go see Beth speak.

I will let you know how the book is going as I work my way through it.

On a TOTALLY different note I finally started twittering on my twitter account I set up a long time ago and I'm addicted. Not sure why I feel the need to tell you this. Maybe its simply a confession on my part. It's just been a lot of fun lately!

Ok. Enough for today. I'll be back to post again soon.

Ear Candles...what?

OK, so have you ever heard of or tried ear candles? I was introduced to them several years ago. My friends Laurie and Kelly invited my roommate and I over to experience their greatness. Laurie LOVES them and she was dying to share the love. I must say I enjoyed them myself. Yes, they are a little gross if you stop and think about it but they are oh so cool. Well yesterday my mom, sister and I were out shopping and I came across some. I told my mom about them and she decided to try them out herself. Before you get started you need some candles and an aluminum pie pan.

Next a person sits down with their head tilted and places the small end of the candle in the ear. At this time the assistant (which was my job) lights the other end of the candle.

You just sit and wait for the candle to burn down. Once it has burned a while you remove it from your ear, let it cool, and if you dare you can open it to see what's inside. Don't worry, I didn't take any pictures of that. :) And speaking of Laurie earlier guess who came to church with me today??

You guessed it! I was so excited when I got an e-mail from her last week asking if she could come to church with us. She came in town on Saturday to see some of her other friends and wanted to see us as well. I was thrilled! I miss my friends so much so it is nice having them stop by for a visit. Thanks again, Laurie! I was great seeing you. And knowing she was coming I couldn't keep all the ear candle excitement to myself so I bought her a little something...

On a completely random note, rememeber my last post about speeding up your metabolism? Well this next part will only slow the whole system way down but I wanted to share anyway. The other day I was checking out Bakerella's blog and I came across a recipe I really wanted to try. It's called Peach Crunch Cake and it was sooooo good. It was super sweet so beware. You can go here for the recipe.

Hope you all enjoy the rest of your Sunday. I'm off to finish my cheese dip for our youth party tonight. Geaux Saints!!!! Go Colts! I'm undecided!

Interesting Read

A few weekends ago when Josh and I went to Dallas with friends I brought a book along. My mom got Master Your Metabolism for Christmas but I don't think she's even read it. Since I was at a plateau in my weight loss I thought I'd give it a try. Have any of you read it? Was it as overwhelming to you as it is me? Jillian introduced me to things I never even knew about. It has been very enlightening in a lot of ways but it has also stressed me out a bit. Honestly, there is no way I'm going to take this book and model all of my eating patterns after it for the rest of my life. I really don't feel like that is very realistic. I don't have the time, money, and resources to completely change everything at this place in my life. Plus I like high fructose corn syrup a little too much to get rid of it completely and forever. I have made a few changes to see if I can rev up my metabolism, or at the very least, keep it from slowing down. I've stopped added splenda or any artificial sweetener to my drinks or meals. This is a biggie for me because it ultimately meant I had to stop drinking coffee. I love coffee with splenda and creamer and so it had to go. People say to use honey but it isn't nearly sweet enough for me. And besides, it is still sugar. Instead of drinking coffee I now drink green tea. It is soooooo good for you (except guys, you aren't supposed to drink more than a couple glasses a day. read the book to find out why) so I haven't really minded having it around. I've also stopped drinking diet carbonated beverages. I used to never drink them but lately I've been drinking a few a week. I never realized just how much they mess up your metabolism. Yikes. I've also been trying to make my calories count. For a snack I'll eat nuts instead of 100 calorie crackers. And at night instead of my 100 calorie cupcakes I drink a class of organic skim milk. I plan on making a few other changes ones I get comfortable with all of these. Anyway, if you haven't read the book you should try it. Like I said, it's a bit much to take in but overall it really makes you think about things that might be sabotaging your weight loss.