http://workoutmommyreviews.com/2009/12/02/lovable-labels-giveaway/
Do you like to LABEL EVERYTHING!? Well check out one of my favorite Mom sites and enter the giveaway!
Ps- eventually I'll write a REAL blog.... I promise!
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Monday, November 30, 2009
Check out Photoworks Free Photo Gift on Tuesday
Have I mentioned I love free!? Order a calendar for your family or a fun 4x4 book for free!!
I love christmas gifts!
Title: Photoworks Free Photo Gift on Tuesday
Link: http://gotaf.socialtwist.com/redirect?l=-689161562101599589111
Monday, November 9, 2009
Anyone want FREE CHRISTMAS CARDS made? Coupon good till NOV 30
Title: 50 Free Photo Cards, Shipped Free Too
Link: http://gotaf.socialtwist.com/redirect?l=312770629311016397221
Goto this site for FREE cards!! $0.00 including SHIPPING!!!
I'm all about free so thought I'd share!! Check out one of my Fav sites- FREEBIES 4 MOM!
Let me know if you take advantage of this!
Enjoy!
Tiff
Link: http://gotaf.socialtwist.com/redirect?l=312770629311016397221
Goto this site for FREE cards!! $0.00 including SHIPPING!!!
I'm all about free so thought I'd share!! Check out one of my Fav sites- FREEBIES 4 MOM!
Let me know if you take advantage of this!
Enjoy!
Tiff
Monday, October 26, 2009
My Child, the Genius!
Ok so I've never really devoted an entire blog to my child... As much as I love reading my friend's blogs about their precious little ones and seeing pics, I just haven't had the urge to brag about my little man so much (I do it on Facebook and to various friends and family as often as possible though- dont get me wrong!) Its just this blog was originally gonna be more about morphing into a new creation... and just all about... ME! hehe
HOWEVER, I can not be narcissistic any longer. Because I have now decided I am the proud mother of a boy-wonder, a genius, a mini-einstein if you will! (and I will!)
His Daycare director emailed me this morning some shots of the work the class was doing. The class was given some random everyday supplies and told to create something.. anything!
I'll let the pic speak for itself:
Here he is concentrating SO hard on his creation of toothpicks and mini marshmallows.
Thanks for letting me brag!
HOWEVER, I can not be narcissistic any longer. Because I have now decided I am the proud mother of a boy-wonder, a genius, a mini-einstein if you will! (and I will!)
His Daycare director emailed me this morning some shots of the work the class was doing. The class was given some random everyday supplies and told to create something.. anything!
I'll let the pic speak for itself:
Here he is concentrating SO hard on his creation of toothpicks and mini marshmallows.
And now, here's the work in progress.....
And there he is Ladies & Gents- my little Nathan, my gift, my genius.
He's making a 3 D object with NO assistance from his teacher.
He came up with the idea himself.. and while his peers are making 2D marshmallow suns with toothpick rays flat on the table- he's making a 3D cube! And- did I mention that he's only 3? (well for another few hrs anyway!)
Speaking of his age... tomorrow is his bday. 4 years ago today, I was in the hospital being induced... not sure what to expect of labor, delivery, or motherhood... excited to see what he looked like and if he was a "cute" baby or one of the funny squishy looking ones. 3 yrs and 364 days ago at around 2:45am.... he came into my life and things have never been the same. And I wouldn't change it for the world!
Here are just a very FEW things that i LOVE about my Nathan Riley:
- His Smile- and how it lights up his whole face
- His Laugh- and how you can't help but smile when you hear it
- His Funny Faces- and how expressive he is
- His Sense of Humor - that I'm sure he got from his dad
- His cuddliness- and how he loves to crawl in my bed in the mornings if he gets up first
- How he says "I just love you mommy" as he looks into my eyes or touches my face.
- How aware he is of his world.
- How smart he is and so quick to pick up things.
- The way he cares about people and asks questions about our friends & fam
- The way he has been enjoying reading stories in our Kids Bible, learning scriptures with me (to songs of course) and learning how to pray for others!
Ok- that was just a top 10 of the first things that came to mind at the moment.
I'm so proud of my little guy! Can't wait to see what the future holds for us! :)
Thanks for letting me brag!
XOXO
Tiff
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Death isn't so bad...
Because in death- there is LIFE and ABUNDANT life at that.
Thats all!
I just wanted to say that death really isn't ALL bad...
My thoughts are kinda jumbled and I"m kinda tired at the moment... but I feel like I'm really moving somewhere... finally. Its taken 23 yrs as a believer in Christ to realize I REALLY want the relationship... and 23 yrs to realize that I didn't have the closeness, the faith, the hope, or even the peace that I've always thought I did... bc HE has pointed out the areas where I'm weak - in the MOST loving way possible! And when He points stuff out, its because he wants to fix it. James 1. He wants to make ME complete. He cares about me! He has a plan for me and a purpose for me and he wants to give me hope and a future! He didn't say he wants to give me the exact future I've dreamed of... but he did make me promises! And I know that HE is one who keeps his promises. No matter what!
I've been reading in the Old Testament lately and realized something... God is a God of details. I mean teeny tiny details. Of course we've heard the scriptures about him counting the hair on our heads and feeding the birds and clothing the flowers... but really- in the OT.. he gives GREAT details on stuff. Anyone ever read Exodus? Like all the way through? Oh. My. Lanta!! So first he gives specific instructions to the Israelites on where to go... then to moses on the "laws of the age" - including the 10 commandments- but ALSO stuff like "if 2 men are quarelling and a pregnant woman is injured, you must do xyz..." (this is my paraphrase of course)... and then with the Ark of the Covenant instructions and even Noah's Ark instructions. I mean he gives DIMINSIONS and fabric specs and all SORTS of stuff!! It was FASCINATING to me that God said this.
He is so caring. He laid it all out- the people were quarrelling all the time- so he gave them laws... not just the 10 commandments- though thats what we think of... but all sorts of laws on what to do in interpersonal relationships. He gave us EVERYTHING we need to follow His will. It really has just impressed upon me that he is SUCH a God of Details! So anytime I think that maybe problem q is too small for Him to really care about... or that I'm wasting His time by asking the MILLION questions I ask him... I can now look back at this book and realize - He loves us. He cares about what we care about. And He wants his people to be equipped! Anyway- that was just a random side-note.
I want the day to day interaction with Jesus. I want to talk with him and listen to him and sit with him. I want to live a life fully surrendered - whatever that looks like! I want to trust him & I want to be ok not knowing what it will mean or what sacrifice I'll have to give bc I want to believe that no matter what - his way is BEST!
He wants to talk to me. He wants to listen to me. He will never give me more than I can handle. He wants to hold me in his arms and cry with me when I hurt. He wants to guide me in the day to day and he's ok w my Million questions! :) He WILL keep His promises. He will work all things for good... even when I dont follow his detailed plan for me every step of the way. He will work it all out for HIS glory!
I'm learning to trust Him. I'm learning to Obey. I'm learning to walk the narrow.
Its good.....
See- dying to yourself really isn't so bad!
Thats all!
I just wanted to say that death really isn't ALL bad...
My thoughts are kinda jumbled and I"m kinda tired at the moment... but I feel like I'm really moving somewhere... finally. Its taken 23 yrs as a believer in Christ to realize I REALLY want the relationship... and 23 yrs to realize that I didn't have the closeness, the faith, the hope, or even the peace that I've always thought I did... bc HE has pointed out the areas where I'm weak - in the MOST loving way possible! And when He points stuff out, its because he wants to fix it. James 1. He wants to make ME complete. He cares about me! He has a plan for me and a purpose for me and he wants to give me hope and a future! He didn't say he wants to give me the exact future I've dreamed of... but he did make me promises! And I know that HE is one who keeps his promises. No matter what!
I've been reading in the Old Testament lately and realized something... God is a God of details. I mean teeny tiny details. Of course we've heard the scriptures about him counting the hair on our heads and feeding the birds and clothing the flowers... but really- in the OT.. he gives GREAT details on stuff. Anyone ever read Exodus? Like all the way through? Oh. My. Lanta!! So first he gives specific instructions to the Israelites on where to go... then to moses on the "laws of the age" - including the 10 commandments- but ALSO stuff like "if 2 men are quarelling and a pregnant woman is injured, you must do xyz..." (this is my paraphrase of course)... and then with the Ark of the Covenant instructions and even Noah's Ark instructions. I mean he gives DIMINSIONS and fabric specs and all SORTS of stuff!! It was FASCINATING to me that God said this.
He is so caring. He laid it all out- the people were quarrelling all the time- so he gave them laws... not just the 10 commandments- though thats what we think of... but all sorts of laws on what to do in interpersonal relationships. He gave us EVERYTHING we need to follow His will. It really has just impressed upon me that he is SUCH a God of Details! So anytime I think that maybe problem q is too small for Him to really care about... or that I'm wasting His time by asking the MILLION questions I ask him... I can now look back at this book and realize - He loves us. He cares about what we care about. And He wants his people to be equipped! Anyway- that was just a random side-note.
I want the day to day interaction with Jesus. I want to talk with him and listen to him and sit with him. I want to live a life fully surrendered - whatever that looks like! I want to trust him & I want to be ok not knowing what it will mean or what sacrifice I'll have to give bc I want to believe that no matter what - his way is BEST!
He wants to talk to me. He wants to listen to me. He will never give me more than I can handle. He wants to hold me in his arms and cry with me when I hurt. He wants to guide me in the day to day and he's ok w my Million questions! :) He WILL keep His promises. He will work all things for good... even when I dont follow his detailed plan for me every step of the way. He will work it all out for HIS glory!
I'm learning to trust Him. I'm learning to Obey. I'm learning to walk the narrow.
Its good.....
See- dying to yourself really isn't so bad!
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Defeat & Death and Katie.
ok so I know its been a while since I've posted... (It always annoys me when ppl post excuses and appologies when I read blogs... and yet- here I've done it.)
I haven't been doing a lot of running or anything lately- minus a 30 min workout in Mexico when we visited Nate's dad several weeks ago... so i felt like I didn't have anything to post. I felt defeated. I started this blog about "who I was becoming" because we are all works in progress... and I really hoped it would end with me being like "WorkoutMommy" or at least sorta fit... or maybe having dropped a few sizes and lbs... But so far I'm still not making a lot of progress in that area. I was so determined... but now it just doesn't seem to be possible, worth the effort, doable, etc. I feel defeated sorta... and only by my own self... only by my own lack of discipline....
However, I have a LOT going on in other areas... and so I've decided while I haven't spent much time on my physical self lately... i've really been growing and learning in my emotional and spiritual self. I wish they were all 3 meshed together and you couldn't grow one without the other... but honestly it just takes a LOT of effort/time/energy/insert other excuse here to do it all.
So for now... I'll give you a short update on the rest of me (as if anyone really was waiting for the next blog or hanging on baited breath to see what TIFFANY is doing... ) and then I'll send you to somewhere REALLY worthwhile... a blog I happened upon this morning that left me in tears and changed (in a good way.)
So after a season of stepping back from a lot of activities/leadership/etc and really trying to enjoy myself, Nate, God, Friends, etc (those are totally in the wrong order... ) I felt called to do "Elevate". Its a discipleship training school at my church. We will learn a lot, read a lot, memorize scripture, grow closer together, and really seek to serve the Lord outside of ourselves. I'm a bit ashamed to admit that I haven't done much of the above on my own so the good Lord has led me to a school where I'll be FORCED to grow. I use forced in a good way... This is going to be tough though. I'm not really very disciplined... (see above paragraphs about working out.) I've squeaked by in life, and managed to do ok at stuff... I've done enough to just get by... nothing too outstanding.. I do whats required and not much more. I'm selfish. Really. I am. I dont love people well. I judge others and have pride in my heart at things that I have no right to feel pride for. I want to serve- but on MY terms(read: enough to get by and complete a checklist), not the Lords (complete abandonment).
I'm overwhelmed. This is going to be a tough year. I'm going to have to DIE to myself. DIE. Every single day. Die to my plans. Die to my wants. But really- I'm 29 yrs old. I've known God since I was 6. Its kinda ridiculous that its taken me 23 years to realize its time to DIE. My only comfort is that Jesus started his ministry at 30... he did a ton in 3 short years... surely there's hope for me to change my 'norm'. Surely. I want to change it. I want to become CRAZY for HIM! I want to do things the world thinks are totally absurd for HIM. I want to love people for HIM. I want to get out of my own head and into the hearts of others FOR HIM. I want to stop judging people FOR HIM. I want to be an intercessor FOR HIM. I want it all FOR HIM! I want to change the world FOR HIM!
and then... i realize that means sacrifice... and that means death. Death to MY dreams, MY desires- because they are not His desires. They aren't.
and then... I'm scared. Scared of failing... and even scared of succeeding. I'm scared about what that would even look like. And I'm scared that when I get there- I'll decide the cost was too great. But could it ever REALLY be too great?! The church answer is def not. My real answer- I'm not sure.
So here we are at the beginning of a journey that I believe is going to be good... that I intentionally placed myself on... intentionally not knowing what it was going to require and now feeling completely overwhelmed.
Speaking of overwhelming... I just found a blog today through one of my friends from BRH days at Baylor, Jenny Chisolm Simmons of Addison Road. Jenny's blog is great- she's a new mommy and she shares with such REALness and humor the not-so-glam world of being in a hit band, following God at all costs and her struggle with the good and the bad. I LOVE reading her posts and I'm pretty sure you will too! HOWEVER, today- she had an entire post of reaction to someone else- Katie. See Jenny's blog about Katie here:
So if you didn't read Jenny's summary of Katie and her blog... at least click on Katie's blog. She's just a girl who grew up in the South, and now serves God in Africa doing things she never would have been able to do on her own... and loving it. After reading her blog- my issues... dying to myself... finding a little discipline... they don't seem like that big of a deal. I'm going to be thinking about the things I read for a while... and then hopefully dying to myself and stepping out to do something for HIM.
Let me know what you think. I'd love to hear your perspective.
Love
Tiffany, the dying one.
I haven't been doing a lot of running or anything lately- minus a 30 min workout in Mexico when we visited Nate's dad several weeks ago... so i felt like I didn't have anything to post. I felt defeated. I started this blog about "who I was becoming" because we are all works in progress... and I really hoped it would end with me being like "WorkoutMommy" or at least sorta fit... or maybe having dropped a few sizes and lbs... But so far I'm still not making a lot of progress in that area. I was so determined... but now it just doesn't seem to be possible, worth the effort, doable, etc. I feel defeated sorta... and only by my own self... only by my own lack of discipline....
However, I have a LOT going on in other areas... and so I've decided while I haven't spent much time on my physical self lately... i've really been growing and learning in my emotional and spiritual self. I wish they were all 3 meshed together and you couldn't grow one without the other... but honestly it just takes a LOT of effort/time/energy/insert other excuse here to do it all.
So for now... I'll give you a short update on the rest of me (as if anyone really was waiting for the next blog or hanging on baited breath to see what TIFFANY is doing... ) and then I'll send you to somewhere REALLY worthwhile... a blog I happened upon this morning that left me in tears and changed (in a good way.)
So after a season of stepping back from a lot of activities/leadership/etc and really trying to enjoy myself, Nate, God, Friends, etc (those are totally in the wrong order... ) I felt called to do "Elevate". Its a discipleship training school at my church. We will learn a lot, read a lot, memorize scripture, grow closer together, and really seek to serve the Lord outside of ourselves. I'm a bit ashamed to admit that I haven't done much of the above on my own so the good Lord has led me to a school where I'll be FORCED to grow. I use forced in a good way... This is going to be tough though. I'm not really very disciplined... (see above paragraphs about working out.) I've squeaked by in life, and managed to do ok at stuff... I've done enough to just get by... nothing too outstanding.. I do whats required and not much more. I'm selfish. Really. I am. I dont love people well. I judge others and have pride in my heart at things that I have no right to feel pride for. I want to serve- but on MY terms(read: enough to get by and complete a checklist), not the Lords (complete abandonment).
I'm overwhelmed. This is going to be a tough year. I'm going to have to DIE to myself. DIE. Every single day. Die to my plans. Die to my wants. But really- I'm 29 yrs old. I've known God since I was 6. Its kinda ridiculous that its taken me 23 years to realize its time to DIE. My only comfort is that Jesus started his ministry at 30... he did a ton in 3 short years... surely there's hope for me to change my 'norm'. Surely. I want to change it. I want to become CRAZY for HIM! I want to do things the world thinks are totally absurd for HIM. I want to love people for HIM. I want to get out of my own head and into the hearts of others FOR HIM. I want to stop judging people FOR HIM. I want to be an intercessor FOR HIM. I want it all FOR HIM! I want to change the world FOR HIM!
and then... i realize that means sacrifice... and that means death. Death to MY dreams, MY desires- because they are not His desires. They aren't.
and then... I'm scared. Scared of failing... and even scared of succeeding. I'm scared about what that would even look like. And I'm scared that when I get there- I'll decide the cost was too great. But could it ever REALLY be too great?! The church answer is def not. My real answer- I'm not sure.
So here we are at the beginning of a journey that I believe is going to be good... that I intentionally placed myself on... intentionally not knowing what it was going to require and now feeling completely overwhelmed.
Speaking of overwhelming... I just found a blog today through one of my friends from BRH days at Baylor, Jenny Chisolm Simmons of Addison Road. Jenny's blog is great- she's a new mommy and she shares with such REALness and humor the not-so-glam world of being in a hit band, following God at all costs and her struggle with the good and the bad. I LOVE reading her posts and I'm pretty sure you will too! HOWEVER, today- she had an entire post of reaction to someone else- Katie. See Jenny's blog about Katie here:
So if you didn't read Jenny's summary of Katie and her blog... at least click on Katie's blog. She's just a girl who grew up in the South, and now serves God in Africa doing things she never would have been able to do on her own... and loving it. After reading her blog- my issues... dying to myself... finding a little discipline... they don't seem like that big of a deal. I'm going to be thinking about the things I read for a while... and then hopefully dying to myself and stepping out to do something for HIM.
Let me know what you think. I'd love to hear your perspective.
Love
Tiffany, the dying one.
Friday, July 17, 2009
Guess what?
I ran!
Thats right- I didn't want to post about it before I did it... but I did. Not for long... but I enjoyed it. I actually enjoyed it. I stopped when I got tired/winded and then I picked up again... and I pushed myself some (not a ton but some).
The story:
I decided I needed a day off on Wed. SO I took one! Nate was at my mom's for Library Reading day and so I got up thinking I"d take a shower and get ready for the day... but something stopped me.
NOPE! I'm gonna go over to the Village and I'm gonna walk and spend time w God!
So I did... for about 30 min or so. Not super long- but thats ok bc its been FOREVER since I've even tried! So I had several spurts where I ran (prob only for a couple minutes at a time) but it was good! Maybe I can do this. Maybe I can become a runner!
It wasn't even that hot- and just when I'd get tired, I'd round the corner and see the beautiful Lakes or a water fountain thing or some ducks or pretty trees. The sprinklers kept coming on too which was a nice welcoming cool splash of water! It was great! I almost felt like a kid who gets excited about running through the sprinklers! And there were even rainbows on occasion through the sprinklers!
Just wanted to post! It was NOT so bad... fun to get out my running shoes and nice to have quiet time around the lakes and trees and nature!
Though I think I've decided that I do better when I run/walk around water!! It helps me be motivated much more so than a track!
Thats right- I didn't want to post about it before I did it... but I did. Not for long... but I enjoyed it. I actually enjoyed it. I stopped when I got tired/winded and then I picked up again... and I pushed myself some (not a ton but some).
The story:
I decided I needed a day off on Wed. SO I took one! Nate was at my mom's for Library Reading day and so I got up thinking I"d take a shower and get ready for the day... but something stopped me.
NOPE! I'm gonna go over to the Village and I'm gonna walk and spend time w God!
So I did... for about 30 min or so. Not super long- but thats ok bc its been FOREVER since I've even tried! So I had several spurts where I ran (prob only for a couple minutes at a time) but it was good! Maybe I can do this. Maybe I can become a runner!
It wasn't even that hot- and just when I'd get tired, I'd round the corner and see the beautiful Lakes or a water fountain thing or some ducks or pretty trees. The sprinklers kept coming on too which was a nice welcoming cool splash of water! It was great! I almost felt like a kid who gets excited about running through the sprinklers! And there were even rainbows on occasion through the sprinklers!
Just wanted to post! It was NOT so bad... fun to get out my running shoes and nice to have quiet time around the lakes and trees and nature!
Though I think I've decided that I do better when I run/walk around water!! It helps me be motivated much more so than a track!
Monday, June 1, 2009
Just a thought...
In case you're wondering - I'm ok. Relatively speaking. God is doing stuff in me and I've faced some trials recently that I would have rather run away from than faced... But I've faced them.. and mostly got through relatively unharmed...
On another of the blogs I read daily (the Daniel Fam) I was struck by something her husband told her... this is totally a paraphrase... but when she was stressing about the future and about planning for tomorrow and trying to figure stuff out, he reminded her that the situation they are in (preemie in NICU in D.C.) is not a punishment from God for something they did "wrong".
How often do I feel like GOd is punishing me for bad choices like I would punish my son and that his punishment is x,y, and z hard trial. So then, I was just reminded of the following verse... one of my ALL TIME FAV's...
James 1 vs 2Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
"Consider it PURE JOY when you face trials". Not just Joy. Pure joy. I think about that like the kind of joy that a small child has when they play with their favorite toy or get their favorite food or see their mommies after being away from them for a week, a day, an hour! He wants us to act like a child w their favorite things when we are in the middle of tough stuff. I haven't felt like a child lately... But I believe His way is best and I believe that He can be trusted (well I dont TOTALLY believe I can trust Him right now... honestly... but I"m trying to.)
He continues saying that the testing of our Faith (in Him, in things we can't see, etc) will lead to perseverance and maturity. He wants us to be MATURE and COMPLETE... lacking NOTHING. Sometimes I wish he'd just let me be incomplete bc maybe it wouldn't be so hard or hurt so bad... but I have to believe His ways are best. And to even be thankful that he cares enough to finish what he started in me... he doesn't want to give up. He doesn't want to have a 1/2 completed masterpiece.
I think about my recent fliers and publications I've done at work... and how I want to complete them... make them into EXACTLY what I had envisioned... even if it takes me 1/2 the morning after I think its "done" to make it "COMPLETE"... resize a font here, add a graphic there, change some colors, etc. Then Finally... finally... its complete. It lacks nothing. I'm satisfied and even proud of the work I finished.. but it doesn't happen instantly. It takes time... and then just when you get it close to what it should look like... there's even more "tweaking".
Why don't I trust him to finish "tweaking" me?
That passage continues with : 5If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 6But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; 8he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.
So if I doubt Him.... if I doubt His word is truth.... if I doubt He wants the best for me... if I doubt His plans... I"m "double minded" and shouldnt' expect to receive ANYTHING from the Lord.
OUCH!
So maybe I'll get to work on this trust thing. Maybe I'll give up my "right to understand" as Lori said below (in Trust #3) and then maybe I'll believe its worth it. Maybe I'll believe I'm not being punished... and that he's holding me when I'm sad and hasn't abandoned me ever... even for a moment... Maybe. It seems so hard right now.
Then I keep reading in James...
12Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.
Maybe its worth it... I mean... I'm pretty sure it is. The Crown of Life seems pretty cool.... I want to look back and say I stood the test... I guess only time will tell!
On another of the blogs I read daily (the Daniel Fam) I was struck by something her husband told her... this is totally a paraphrase... but when she was stressing about the future and about planning for tomorrow and trying to figure stuff out, he reminded her that the situation they are in (preemie in NICU in D.C.) is not a punishment from God for something they did "wrong".
How often do I feel like GOd is punishing me for bad choices like I would punish my son and that his punishment is x,y, and z hard trial. So then, I was just reminded of the following verse... one of my ALL TIME FAV's...
James 1 vs 2Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
"Consider it PURE JOY when you face trials". Not just Joy. Pure joy. I think about that like the kind of joy that a small child has when they play with their favorite toy or get their favorite food or see their mommies after being away from them for a week, a day, an hour! He wants us to act like a child w their favorite things when we are in the middle of tough stuff. I haven't felt like a child lately... But I believe His way is best and I believe that He can be trusted (well I dont TOTALLY believe I can trust Him right now... honestly... but I"m trying to.)
He continues saying that the testing of our Faith (in Him, in things we can't see, etc) will lead to perseverance and maturity. He wants us to be MATURE and COMPLETE... lacking NOTHING. Sometimes I wish he'd just let me be incomplete bc maybe it wouldn't be so hard or hurt so bad... but I have to believe His ways are best. And to even be thankful that he cares enough to finish what he started in me... he doesn't want to give up. He doesn't want to have a 1/2 completed masterpiece.
I think about my recent fliers and publications I've done at work... and how I want to complete them... make them into EXACTLY what I had envisioned... even if it takes me 1/2 the morning after I think its "done" to make it "COMPLETE"... resize a font here, add a graphic there, change some colors, etc. Then Finally... finally... its complete. It lacks nothing. I'm satisfied and even proud of the work I finished.. but it doesn't happen instantly. It takes time... and then just when you get it close to what it should look like... there's even more "tweaking".
Why don't I trust him to finish "tweaking" me?
That passage continues with : 5If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 6But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; 8he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.
So if I doubt Him.... if I doubt His word is truth.... if I doubt He wants the best for me... if I doubt His plans... I"m "double minded" and shouldnt' expect to receive ANYTHING from the Lord.
OUCH!
So maybe I'll get to work on this trust thing. Maybe I'll give up my "right to understand" as Lori said below (in Trust #3) and then maybe I'll believe its worth it. Maybe I'll believe I'm not being punished... and that he's holding me when I'm sad and hasn't abandoned me ever... even for a moment... Maybe. It seems so hard right now.
Then I keep reading in James...
12Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.
Maybe its worth it... I mean... I'm pretty sure it is. The Crown of Life seems pretty cool.... I want to look back and say I stood the test... I guess only time will tell!
Pain.
So the end of this made me cry. Maybe one day I'll have my own reflections to post... but for now, I'm pretty sure the Lord is speaking to me through these other people about trusting him, knowing he loves me, and that he hurts with me. - Tiff
From : http://andreaandcamryn.blogspot.com/
Last night Camryn experienced a part of life that hurts and seeing my baby go through that just about killed me. I got a text from her Dad that told me that Cocoa, their dog at her Mamaw's house, died and that Camryn probably saw it. I sent a text to Judy telling her I was sorry to hear Cocoa died and asked if Camryn was ok. She told me that Camryn was fine just puzzled by what happened as they were. When Camryn got to my mom's house she was in good spirits so I was thinking it was smooth sailing. On the way home Camryn said "It's like I have a record playing over and over in my head". I asked her what she had stuck in her head, thinking it was going to be a song, because this happens to her a lot...she's just got the music in her. Her response ripped my heart out and I knew what was coming. She said, "Go get Papaw and tell him Cocoa is dead...go get Papaw and tell him Cocoa is dead...I just keep hearing it over and over". As she was telling me this her little innocent voice got shaky and then the tears came. When we got home we sat down and I just held her as she cried and kept saying "I just want Cocoa alive". It was killing me. I had no comforting or inspirational words, I just rocked her and cried with her and told her it's ok to be sad and to cry. Y'all it was almost more than I could take. I sent her dad a text telling him Camryn was really upset. He called and she talked to him and her brothers and that seemed to help a little bit. She drew a picture and told me she would always remember Cocoa and for me not to worry that she would get over it. She would pull herself together and then it would hit her again and she would start to cry. It made me think about God's love for His children and how it must kill him and rip his heart out when we are hurting and crying. How He must be holding us and crying with us in our times of trouble, telling us it's ok to be sad and that everything will be ok. His love is amazing!
It is a part of life but I'm telling you I would rather hurt a million times than to see my child hurting like that.
From : http://andreaandcamryn.blogspot.com/
Last night Camryn experienced a part of life that hurts and seeing my baby go through that just about killed me. I got a text from her Dad that told me that Cocoa, their dog at her Mamaw's house, died and that Camryn probably saw it. I sent a text to Judy telling her I was sorry to hear Cocoa died and asked if Camryn was ok. She told me that Camryn was fine just puzzled by what happened as they were. When Camryn got to my mom's house she was in good spirits so I was thinking it was smooth sailing. On the way home Camryn said "It's like I have a record playing over and over in my head". I asked her what she had stuck in her head, thinking it was going to be a song, because this happens to her a lot...she's just got the music in her. Her response ripped my heart out and I knew what was coming. She said, "Go get Papaw and tell him Cocoa is dead...go get Papaw and tell him Cocoa is dead...I just keep hearing it over and over". As she was telling me this her little innocent voice got shaky and then the tears came. When we got home we sat down and I just held her as she cried and kept saying "I just want Cocoa alive". It was killing me. I had no comforting or inspirational words, I just rocked her and cried with her and told her it's ok to be sad and to cry. Y'all it was almost more than I could take. I sent her dad a text telling him Camryn was really upset. He called and she talked to him and her brothers and that seemed to help a little bit. She drew a picture and told me she would always remember Cocoa and for me not to worry that she would get over it. She would pull herself together and then it would hit her again and she would start to cry. It made me think about God's love for His children and how it must kill him and rip his heart out when we are hurting and crying. How He must be holding us and crying with us in our times of trouble, telling us it's ok to be sad and that everything will be ok. His love is amazing!
It is a part of life but I'm telling you I would rather hurt a million times than to see my child hurting like that.
TRUST #3??
Hit me again that everything I'm reading is about trust.... so then I realize that I have a big issue with that right now and don't think I can honestly answer yes to either of the questions she poses below. I believe I will get there... but I'm definitely not there now. I hope this encourages you as it did me- Tiff.
From Lori Goode...http://theunpredictableadventure.blogspot.com/
In church on Sunday, a good friend of mine, Sandra, spoke on giving up our right to understand God's actions or restraints - when He does something that hurts and is confusing or when He doesn't do something that we've asked. Sandra said that throughout her life, when difficult circumstances arise in both her life and in others, God has asked her these 2 questions:
1. Do you trust Me?
2. Do you give up your right to understand what I am doing?
Whoa...I was immediately thrown back to this month 5 years ago when these very same questions brought me to a turning point in my faith. And although most of you who read this blog know my story, I feel like there might be someone out there who doesn't or who needs to hear it again. Maybe you feel like God failed you, like He didn't come through for you, or maybe that He's denying you something you've asked for over and over again... Whatever it is that you're dealing with, I want to give you hope.
In May of 2004, after praying and waiting and being sure that I knew how things were going to eventually play out in a certain situation, I was blindsided. I did not just feel like the road made a big turn and I went off course, I felt like God told me to go down a certain road that ended with me going off an uncompleted bridge, straight into a freezing river. I asked myself, "How could I have missed this? How could God not tell me when I asked so many times? Can I even hear the voice of God? Why would a God who claims to love me and know what's best for me allow me to be shattered and utterly lost?" Trying to make sense of what had happened, I was overcome by loss and anger. I shouted out loud to God, "I don't believe You! I don't believe that You know what's best for me! How could this possibly be what's best?! I don't believe that You are good or that You love me! But oh, how I want to! Show yourself to me God! Show me that You are true, that the things I've read and been taught about You are true! Prove Yourself to me!"
And by His grace, He did...
I was too angry and hurt to hear His voice for a while, so He used other things to speak - His people to give word pictures; a Watermark song "Mended"; a section from the book The Princess Bride; a line from the movie LOTR: Return of the King; a dead tree trunk that had a sprig of a new and different tree growing from within. God uses all things to show His grace and reveal Himself, if only we are willing to see.
Over time, I was healed from the loss; but greater than the pain from the loss was the pain of not knowing why. Over and over again I asked for understanding, I pleaded with God to show me why...and the only answer I got was that it was not what He had for me. At first, this was not an acceptable answer, but as He proved Himself to me, showing me His good, loving, merciful character, I was able to release my right to understand and to trust His sovereignty.
Back in high school, I remember sitting in my driveway after midnight with my good friend, Alex. He said something that has stuck with me even 11 years later: "In all situations, we have to remember that God is good and that God is sovereign. If we can remember that, then everything will be okay." (Wow...pretty profound for a 17 year old - thanks Al!). And that's true even today...for me and for you - if we can choose to believe that God is good, that God is sovereign, and (I'd like to add) that He loves us, everything will eventually come into line.
It's when we have an experience with God - when we know Him and have seen His character - that we can believe and trust Him; first came the experience, then the belief and trust. This doesn't mean that we don't question, that we don't get angry, that we don't feel sad and loss; it does mean that God is not afraid of those things and He will prove Himself to us if we humbly ask.
So on Sunday during the ministry time after the sermon was over, I sat reflecting on my situation 5 years ago and I was so thankful - thankful that God proved Himself true to me; that in His mercy He drew me close again; that He was not discouraged by my anger, my doubt, my questions, my accusations; and that because of that situation, my faith was refined, hardened and proved genuine. I don't want to be arrogant; I know that my situation is mild compared with some of the true tragedies that others have gone through. But I hope that even if horror comes to me in greater proportions I will still believe Him true; yet even if I am not, He will prove Himself to be.
My encouragement to you is this: if you are angry, hurt or confused by God's actions or restraints, if His character does not seem to line up with your experience, then humbly ask Him to prove Himself true to you, to show you Who He is and how much He loves you. As one who has experienced this for herself, I know He will be faithful to do it.
Posted by Lori at 8:16 PM
From Lori Goode...http://theunpredictableadventure.blogspot.com/
In church on Sunday, a good friend of mine, Sandra, spoke on giving up our right to understand God's actions or restraints - when He does something that hurts and is confusing or when He doesn't do something that we've asked. Sandra said that throughout her life, when difficult circumstances arise in both her life and in others, God has asked her these 2 questions:
1. Do you trust Me?
2. Do you give up your right to understand what I am doing?
Whoa...I was immediately thrown back to this month 5 years ago when these very same questions brought me to a turning point in my faith. And although most of you who read this blog know my story, I feel like there might be someone out there who doesn't or who needs to hear it again. Maybe you feel like God failed you, like He didn't come through for you, or maybe that He's denying you something you've asked for over and over again... Whatever it is that you're dealing with, I want to give you hope.
In May of 2004, after praying and waiting and being sure that I knew how things were going to eventually play out in a certain situation, I was blindsided. I did not just feel like the road made a big turn and I went off course, I felt like God told me to go down a certain road that ended with me going off an uncompleted bridge, straight into a freezing river. I asked myself, "How could I have missed this? How could God not tell me when I asked so many times? Can I even hear the voice of God? Why would a God who claims to love me and know what's best for me allow me to be shattered and utterly lost?" Trying to make sense of what had happened, I was overcome by loss and anger. I shouted out loud to God, "I don't believe You! I don't believe that You know what's best for me! How could this possibly be what's best?! I don't believe that You are good or that You love me! But oh, how I want to! Show yourself to me God! Show me that You are true, that the things I've read and been taught about You are true! Prove Yourself to me!"
And by His grace, He did...
I was too angry and hurt to hear His voice for a while, so He used other things to speak - His people to give word pictures; a Watermark song "Mended"; a section from the book The Princess Bride; a line from the movie LOTR: Return of the King; a dead tree trunk that had a sprig of a new and different tree growing from within. God uses all things to show His grace and reveal Himself, if only we are willing to see.
Over time, I was healed from the loss; but greater than the pain from the loss was the pain of not knowing why. Over and over again I asked for understanding, I pleaded with God to show me why...and the only answer I got was that it was not what He had for me. At first, this was not an acceptable answer, but as He proved Himself to me, showing me His good, loving, merciful character, I was able to release my right to understand and to trust His sovereignty.
Back in high school, I remember sitting in my driveway after midnight with my good friend, Alex. He said something that has stuck with me even 11 years later: "In all situations, we have to remember that God is good and that God is sovereign. If we can remember that, then everything will be okay." (Wow...pretty profound for a 17 year old - thanks Al!). And that's true even today...for me and for you - if we can choose to believe that God is good, that God is sovereign, and (I'd like to add) that He loves us, everything will eventually come into line.
It's when we have an experience with God - when we know Him and have seen His character - that we can believe and trust Him; first came the experience, then the belief and trust. This doesn't mean that we don't question, that we don't get angry, that we don't feel sad and loss; it does mean that God is not afraid of those things and He will prove Himself to us if we humbly ask.
So on Sunday during the ministry time after the sermon was over, I sat reflecting on my situation 5 years ago and I was so thankful - thankful that God proved Himself true to me; that in His mercy He drew me close again; that He was not discouraged by my anger, my doubt, my questions, my accusations; and that because of that situation, my faith was refined, hardened and proved genuine. I don't want to be arrogant; I know that my situation is mild compared with some of the true tragedies that others have gone through. But I hope that even if horror comes to me in greater proportions I will still believe Him true; yet even if I am not, He will prove Himself to be.
My encouragement to you is this: if you are angry, hurt or confused by God's actions or restraints, if His character does not seem to line up with your experience, then humbly ask Him to prove Himself true to you, to show you Who He is and how much He loves you. As one who has experienced this for herself, I know He will be faithful to do it.
Posted by Lori at 8:16 PM
Friday, May 29, 2009
Trust (#2)
from http://thewacosudans.blogspot.com/ I thought it was good so I'm posting it! Head over to Mr Sudan's blog if you want more of his story!
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not unto your own understanding. In all of your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths."
This has always been one of my favorite passages of Scripture, but in all honesty it has also been one of the most difficult for me to follow. It has been my M.O. to try to maintain control of my life and all situations. Fortunately that has worked well most of my life (at least for me - those around me may not feel the same), but I feel like I have missed some direction from God and some blessings because of this.
Then with my surgery, I completely lost control of my life and I was forced to re-examine my way of doing things.
The other day I was driving back from the lakehouse with my mother who is now very confused. She was not sure where she was or what was going to happen to her and after answering many questions, I finally said that she just needs to trust me. Her response was "What else can I do?"
It really got me to thinking that that was what God is trying to say to us. He just wants us to trust Him. There are times when we do not know where He is leading and events in our life just do not make sense. At that point we just need to trust Him.
But for me the bigger problem is that I don't realize that I am confused. I go through life trying to control it and thinking that I know where I am going, while in reality I am lost. The first step in trusting is to realize you are confused. We often call this humility. We all need a good dose of it.When I asked my mother if she thought she could trust me, she responded that she knew me and that I was trustworthy. In the same way we can trust God because we know His character. We know that He is good and that He is powerful, and therefore He can take care of us and do what He says He will do. And that is the gist of it.
We have to admit that we do not know it all and turn to One who does. Of course trust is earned and it starts out small and grows as the One we trust shows His trustworthiness. I have a lot to learn in this area. But if God can speak through a donkey, surely He can speak through a confused old lady. We just need to be listening.
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not unto your own understanding. In all of your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths."
This has always been one of my favorite passages of Scripture, but in all honesty it has also been one of the most difficult for me to follow. It has been my M.O. to try to maintain control of my life and all situations. Fortunately that has worked well most of my life (at least for me - those around me may not feel the same), but I feel like I have missed some direction from God and some blessings because of this.
Then with my surgery, I completely lost control of my life and I was forced to re-examine my way of doing things.
The other day I was driving back from the lakehouse with my mother who is now very confused. She was not sure where she was or what was going to happen to her and after answering many questions, I finally said that she just needs to trust me. Her response was "What else can I do?"
It really got me to thinking that that was what God is trying to say to us. He just wants us to trust Him. There are times when we do not know where He is leading and events in our life just do not make sense. At that point we just need to trust Him.
But for me the bigger problem is that I don't realize that I am confused. I go through life trying to control it and thinking that I know where I am going, while in reality I am lost. The first step in trusting is to realize you are confused. We often call this humility. We all need a good dose of it.When I asked my mother if she thought she could trust me, she responded that she knew me and that I was trustworthy. In the same way we can trust God because we know His character. We know that He is good and that He is powerful, and therefore He can take care of us and do what He says He will do. And that is the gist of it.
We have to admit that we do not know it all and turn to One who does. Of course trust is earned and it starts out small and grows as the One we trust shows His trustworthiness. I have a lot to learn in this area. But if God can speak through a donkey, surely He can speak through a confused old lady. We just need to be listening.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Trust
From a friend's blog. I feel like its universal. It meets me where I was yesterday! I hope it encourages you!
"But He knoweth the way that I take: when He hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold (Job 23:10). All the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come (Job 14:14b). [So with that being said] Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him. (Job 13:15a)
I have a sneaky suspicion that once you let God know how you feel, He will let you know how He feels and that is, Woman of God, daughter, just trust me. I know what Im doing. If you can just endure a little while longer, you will have the last laugh. Dont faint. Dont get despondent along the way.
Yes, your heart hurts but I couldnt allow this door to open because it was a smoke screen, it wouldve been what you wanted and not what I wanted for you. It would have been an Ishmael (what the flesh wanted) and not an Isaac (what is ordained in the Spirit).
Hold on woman of God. I havent forgotten about you. I know it seems like its taking a long time but everything is going according to my divine plan and will for your life. Youve got to trust me. Even when you dont understand it or what Im doing, you must trust me. Can you do that for me? Can you trust me with your life? Better yet do you trust me? Do you trust that I have
your best interest at heart? Do you trust that I can come through for you? Do you trust that I know what Im doing? Do you trust me to bring you out of this trial? Do you trust me? Do you? I cant hear you?!!! Do you trust me?
Then if you do, let me handle this thing. Let me handle it! I know what Im doing. Do you think I want to see you hurt? Do you think I like watching you suffer through the afflictions? Do you think I like watching you agonize over things when your breakthrough is coming? What kind of Father do you think I am?
Believe me, I want to come to your rescue, although its very tempting, but I cant because if I do, the blessing wont last; you wont get all that Ive ordained for you. Youve gone through too much
emotional damage, youve cried too many tears, youve been through too much these past few years for me to just let you settle for anything. Ive got to let you endure until the end. I cant allow you to give in now.
Trust me,it will be worth it. But you have to trust me.
I know your heart aches. I know youre confused but daughter, the end is nigh; your breakthrough is imminent. I wouldnt be a just God if I didnt allow you to enter into the Promised Land after all this time in the wilderness. Trust me. I need you to trust me. So just trust me. Please trust me. I will not let you down. I promise!!!! "
"But He knoweth the way that I take: when He hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold (Job 23:10). All the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come (Job 14:14b). [So with that being said] Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him. (Job 13:15a)
I have a sneaky suspicion that once you let God know how you feel, He will let you know how He feels and that is, Woman of God, daughter, just trust me. I know what Im doing. If you can just endure a little while longer, you will have the last laugh. Dont faint. Dont get despondent along the way.
Yes, your heart hurts but I couldnt allow this door to open because it was a smoke screen, it wouldve been what you wanted and not what I wanted for you. It would have been an Ishmael (what the flesh wanted) and not an Isaac (what is ordained in the Spirit).
Hold on woman of God. I havent forgotten about you. I know it seems like its taking a long time but everything is going according to my divine plan and will for your life. Youve got to trust me. Even when you dont understand it or what Im doing, you must trust me. Can you do that for me? Can you trust me with your life? Better yet do you trust me? Do you trust that I have
your best interest at heart? Do you trust that I can come through for you? Do you trust that I know what Im doing? Do you trust me to bring you out of this trial? Do you trust me? Do you? I cant hear you?!!! Do you trust me?
Then if you do, let me handle this thing. Let me handle it! I know what Im doing. Do you think I want to see you hurt? Do you think I like watching you suffer through the afflictions? Do you think I like watching you agonize over things when your breakthrough is coming? What kind of Father do you think I am?
Believe me, I want to come to your rescue, although its very tempting, but I cant because if I do, the blessing wont last; you wont get all that Ive ordained for you. Youve gone through too much
emotional damage, youve cried too many tears, youve been through too much these past few years for me to just let you settle for anything. Ive got to let you endure until the end. I cant allow you to give in now.
Trust me,it will be worth it. But you have to trust me.
I know your heart aches. I know youre confused but daughter, the end is nigh; your breakthrough is imminent. I wouldnt be a just God if I didnt allow you to enter into the Promised Land after all this time in the wilderness. Trust me. I need you to trust me. So just trust me. Please trust me. I will not let you down. I promise!!!! "
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Pray for the Daniel Family
So I stumbled upon this blog and feel like I know this couple.... They could really use our prayers today.
Long story REALLY REALLY short (goto the blog if you want to get the long version) is Brittany's water broke at 24 weeks, & 1 Day. She's been in the hospital in Washington DC (they are from Alabama) since that day on bed rest. God has kept the baby "Gaines" healthy and safe and both of them without infection for 5 weeks! A total Miracle! She's having contractions this morning though and so today might be delivery day. Pray for them!!
If you goto the blog- start from the bottom and go up.
http://beauandbrittanydaniel.blogspot.com/
Long story REALLY REALLY short (goto the blog if you want to get the long version) is Brittany's water broke at 24 weeks, & 1 Day. She's been in the hospital in Washington DC (they are from Alabama) since that day on bed rest. God has kept the baby "Gaines" healthy and safe and both of them without infection for 5 weeks! A total Miracle! She's having contractions this morning though and so today might be delivery day. Pray for them!!
If you goto the blog- start from the bottom and go up.
http://beauandbrittanydaniel.blogspot.com/
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Moxie Girls!
So our "Running Team" (which has only done one race) FINALLY has our SHIRTS ordered!!
What do you think?
On the front it says: "Team Moxie" w a running girl in the middle and underneath gives the definition of Moxie:
[mok’-see] n. slang. The ability to face difficulty with spirit and courage.
On the Back, it has our names all off center and then at the bottom our Team Verse:
Let us throw off everything that hinders ...
and let us run with perseverance
the race marked out for us.
- Hebrews 12:1
It will be HOT PINK! :) ya ya!! (no idea why it turned purple in the picture...)
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Where Have I beeN??
Well... here, there and everywhere. Unfortunately- not really doing too much on the exercise front.... doing more on the spiritual front. So I sent an email to some people yesterday and I feel like sharing it w the Blog World. NOt totally related to why I've been out but really related to the title of my blog: Who I'm Becoming.
Check it out. (its LONG) Let me know your thoughts if you make it through!!
Hello friends! A lot of you have been involved in my life at various levels and seen the various financial and car troubles I have experienced over the years (really- my whole life!). I'll try to make a long story SUPER short! I felt in June that God promised financial Freedom to me! Let me give you a Timeline of the events/progress thus far and how God is blessing me!!
I was struggling in my commission-only job (that i really liked... but wasn't doing well at) and my spirits were low. In August I got a job that I LOVE at my former church. Salary isn't high, but I felt a peace and its a STEADY, dependable, unchanging amount and includes a daycare discount (BIG ONE!) and medical cov'g! FIRST BLESSING!
I had a hard time paying my car payment during the months on Commission, so in early Aug, it got Repo'd which was actually more freeing than depressing. 2 days later- I was GIVEN a FREE car- 95 Volvo!! Second HUGE BLESSING!!
November- was going to move into a small 1 br apt on my own unsure of how I was going to handle the monthly bills/budget and the space issues w a 3 yr old but still felt Peace. WheN I was getting ready to move, My dad and his wife, Mary, decided they wanted to give me $100 a month to cover Nate's part of the rent and the increase in utility bills(allowing me to get a little bigger place w 2 br!) They volunteered this out of no where and have been faithful to send me that money at the beginning of every month! THIRD HUGE BLESSING!
January- After Christmas, Jan was a bit tight... then around the first week of the month- I get a check deposited from my former commission only job of $700!!! It was a surprise (while i usually get a check each month, the amounts vary and had usually only been around 2-400 depending on the month) FOURTH BLESSING!
April- it was a fairly tight month after investing in Running Shoes and paying some bills early. I had a flat that week and was really stressing a bit. I was literally left w like $200 in my account and deciding which bills could wait till after I got paid the following Wed. and which should be paid w this $200.
I went to hang w friends at a Poker night on April 11. So, its 1am... I'm inside my apt complex driving home when all of a sudden a car has backed out in front of me. There was no time to stop, so i SLAMMED into him. I initially thought it was my fault- but said nothing other than to exchange ins. My back hurt instantly and I cried when I got around the corner to my house bc I could only afford Liability ins and just knew my free car would be broken forever. PLUS my apt tows cars that are 'visably damaged' so I wondered where I was going to park since I wasn't going to be able to fix my car! I honestly doubted God and wondered what I was going to do! I felt him say "Tiffany, Do you not trust me yet as your provider?!"... and I'm like "Yes... but... it was my fault and now I'm hurt and I dont have any extra money to fix things and... (the list went on and on)." I finally went to sleep TRYING to believe He was going to provide somehow - but secretly honestly thinking I'd "used up" all my blessings and that he really wouldn't! I mean he'd already given me a FREE car... and I wrecked it! Why would he trust me w something else? Why would he help ME?!?
The pain in my back continued the next morning and was pretty bad. Nate was also mildly hurt. My car looked so sad as I went to it on Sat Morning before Bible study. The girls at the study prayed for me and my car/back. Later, I called my dad and asked who's fault he thought it was and told him about the damage. He volunteered to take a look at it if I had time on Sat afternoon. He ended up spending 8 hrs and $200 working on my car with a few breaks here and there for lunch, dinner, a trip to the junk yard, and an easter egg hunt w Nate. I know he was exhausted, but really, it was a great day! We had fun in spite of all the work he was doing (at least I know Nate and I did!) It was just such a sweet and selfless time my dad gave me. As I helped him finish checking the air on my tires, tears came to my eyes as I realized my Heavenly father had provided for me through my earthly father. And that He's been working to restore our relationship to completeness/wholeness. Its sooo good! And I felt more loved and protected and provided for than ever before. Praise the Lord! FIFTH BLESSING!
At that point, I didn't even care if it was my fault. My car wasn't so bad anymore thanks to my dad the Mechanical Miracle Worker and I learned I would be able to seek Med Treatment under my PIP ins for Nate and I. Had an appt on Monday and already felt a little better on Tuesday when I woke up. Nate got treated and I learned he had minor damage and wouldn't need many treatments. The 2500 PIP would surely cover it! SIXTH BLESSING! While I was at the Chiropractor- i got a call and learned that the wreck was the OTHER guys' fault!! SEVENTH BLESSING! Also, they said they would pay for ANY and ALL medical bills for both Nate and I related to this claim when we had completed all treatments!!! (So that means that if my PIP pays 2500, then they will write me a personal check for 2500 also!!!) EIGHTH BLESSING!!
Also, I have an Aflac Accident plan which means that I get additional money IN MY POCKET for accident treatment!! I'm guesstimating that it will end up around $500!!! NINTH BLESSING!
Tuesday, the adjuster came out and said he thought it might be totalled! I was a little scared bc I figured that would mean they woudln't give me much to fix the car and they'd want to take the car- then I'm stuck trying to find something to drive that's reliable! Ugh! I searched Blue Book value for the car and it ranged from 1500-3300. I guessed I'd get around 2000 for the car. Wed I learn that they did total the car- but they think its worth 4749.06 if they total it out and take it. WHAT?! Did you say 4 THOUSAND dollars!?! (but that means I"m Car-less!!) And then I asked- well what if I dont want to give you the car... and they said they would pay a little less... 4299.06!!!!!!!!! "wait- so you're telling me the minimum you will settle for will be $4300?!?!? for a 95 VolvO? SERIOUSLY? TENTH BLESSING!!
So.. to sum up- GOD is SOOOO my Provider!!! I repent for EVER doubting that he wants FINANCIAL freedom for me!!! Praise the LORD for blessings in disguise! I never knew I'd be sooo glad to have had a car wreck! This is INCREDIBLE!!!
And also- I had been feeling like I was supposed to do the Discipleship Training School at our church starting in August. It is $900 and I wasn't sure how I was going to pay for it, but just started the application this week! I read the line that said 'you may pay in advance" and almost laughed out loud! Ya RIGHT! Like I"D have 900 EXTRA dollars!! SOooo joke's on me I guess!!! :) I think I'll be able to write a check for the full amount now!! God is SOOO good!! Its really humbling and amazing!!
Please pray with me that I would be a good steward with the extra funds. That I would listen to wise council and that I would make progress on my debt!! I will have financial freedom!!! I can TASTE it!!! ANd its SOOO worth it!! :)
Hope you have a blessed day!! And that you BELIEVE that HE loves you!! And that He wants the BEST for you!! And that He will be your provider too!
Love, Tiff
Check it out. (its LONG) Let me know your thoughts if you make it through!!
Hello friends! A lot of you have been involved in my life at various levels and seen the various financial and car troubles I have experienced over the years (really- my whole life!). I'll try to make a long story SUPER short! I felt in June that God promised financial Freedom to me! Let me give you a Timeline of the events/progress thus far and how God is blessing me!!
I was struggling in my commission-only job (that i really liked... but wasn't doing well at) and my spirits were low. In August I got a job that I LOVE at my former church. Salary isn't high, but I felt a peace and its a STEADY, dependable, unchanging amount and includes a daycare discount (BIG ONE!) and medical cov'g! FIRST BLESSING!
I had a hard time paying my car payment during the months on Commission, so in early Aug, it got Repo'd which was actually more freeing than depressing. 2 days later- I was GIVEN a FREE car- 95 Volvo!! Second HUGE BLESSING!!
November- was going to move into a small 1 br apt on my own unsure of how I was going to handle the monthly bills/budget and the space issues w a 3 yr old but still felt Peace. WheN I was getting ready to move, My dad and his wife, Mary, decided they wanted to give me $100 a month to cover Nate's part of the rent and the increase in utility bills(allowing me to get a little bigger place w 2 br!) They volunteered this out of no where and have been faithful to send me that money at the beginning of every month! THIRD HUGE BLESSING!
January- After Christmas, Jan was a bit tight... then around the first week of the month- I get a check deposited from my former commission only job of $700!!! It was a surprise (while i usually get a check each month, the amounts vary and had usually only been around 2-400 depending on the month) FOURTH BLESSING!
April- it was a fairly tight month after investing in Running Shoes and paying some bills early. I had a flat that week and was really stressing a bit. I was literally left w like $200 in my account and deciding which bills could wait till after I got paid the following Wed. and which should be paid w this $200.
I went to hang w friends at a Poker night on April 11. So, its 1am... I'm inside my apt complex driving home when all of a sudden a car has backed out in front of me. There was no time to stop, so i SLAMMED into him. I initially thought it was my fault- but said nothing other than to exchange ins. My back hurt instantly and I cried when I got around the corner to my house bc I could only afford Liability ins and just knew my free car would be broken forever. PLUS my apt tows cars that are 'visably damaged' so I wondered where I was going to park since I wasn't going to be able to fix my car! I honestly doubted God and wondered what I was going to do! I felt him say "Tiffany, Do you not trust me yet as your provider?!"... and I'm like "Yes... but... it was my fault and now I'm hurt and I dont have any extra money to fix things and... (the list went on and on)." I finally went to sleep TRYING to believe He was going to provide somehow - but secretly honestly thinking I'd "used up" all my blessings and that he really wouldn't! I mean he'd already given me a FREE car... and I wrecked it! Why would he trust me w something else? Why would he help ME?!?
The pain in my back continued the next morning and was pretty bad. Nate was also mildly hurt. My car looked so sad as I went to it on Sat Morning before Bible study. The girls at the study prayed for me and my car/back. Later, I called my dad and asked who's fault he thought it was and told him about the damage. He volunteered to take a look at it if I had time on Sat afternoon. He ended up spending 8 hrs and $200 working on my car with a few breaks here and there for lunch, dinner, a trip to the junk yard, and an easter egg hunt w Nate. I know he was exhausted, but really, it was a great day! We had fun in spite of all the work he was doing (at least I know Nate and I did!) It was just such a sweet and selfless time my dad gave me. As I helped him finish checking the air on my tires, tears came to my eyes as I realized my Heavenly father had provided for me through my earthly father. And that He's been working to restore our relationship to completeness/wholeness. Its sooo good! And I felt more loved and protected and provided for than ever before. Praise the Lord! FIFTH BLESSING!
At that point, I didn't even care if it was my fault. My car wasn't so bad anymore thanks to my dad the Mechanical Miracle Worker and I learned I would be able to seek Med Treatment under my PIP ins for Nate and I. Had an appt on Monday and already felt a little better on Tuesday when I woke up. Nate got treated and I learned he had minor damage and wouldn't need many treatments. The 2500 PIP would surely cover it! SIXTH BLESSING! While I was at the Chiropractor- i got a call and learned that the wreck was the OTHER guys' fault!! SEVENTH BLESSING! Also, they said they would pay for ANY and ALL medical bills for both Nate and I related to this claim when we had completed all treatments!!! (So that means that if my PIP pays 2500, then they will write me a personal check for 2500 also!!!) EIGHTH BLESSING!!
Also, I have an Aflac Accident plan which means that I get additional money IN MY POCKET for accident treatment!! I'm guesstimating that it will end up around $500!!! NINTH BLESSING!
Tuesday, the adjuster came out and said he thought it might be totalled! I was a little scared bc I figured that would mean they woudln't give me much to fix the car and they'd want to take the car- then I'm stuck trying to find something to drive that's reliable! Ugh! I searched Blue Book value for the car and it ranged from 1500-3300. I guessed I'd get around 2000 for the car. Wed I learn that they did total the car- but they think its worth 4749.06 if they total it out and take it. WHAT?! Did you say 4 THOUSAND dollars!?! (but that means I"m Car-less!!) And then I asked- well what if I dont want to give you the car... and they said they would pay a little less... 4299.06!!!!!!!!! "wait- so you're telling me the minimum you will settle for will be $4300?!?!? for a 95 VolvO? SERIOUSLY? TENTH BLESSING!!
So.. to sum up- GOD is SOOOO my Provider!!! I repent for EVER doubting that he wants FINANCIAL freedom for me!!! Praise the LORD for blessings in disguise! I never knew I'd be sooo glad to have had a car wreck! This is INCREDIBLE!!!
And also- I had been feeling like I was supposed to do the Discipleship Training School at our church starting in August. It is $900 and I wasn't sure how I was going to pay for it, but just started the application this week! I read the line that said 'you may pay in advance" and almost laughed out loud! Ya RIGHT! Like I"D have 900 EXTRA dollars!! SOooo joke's on me I guess!!! :) I think I'll be able to write a check for the full amount now!! God is SOOO good!! Its really humbling and amazing!!
Please pray with me that I would be a good steward with the extra funds. That I would listen to wise council and that I would make progress on my debt!! I will have financial freedom!!! I can TASTE it!!! ANd its SOOO worth it!! :)
Hope you have a blessed day!! And that you BELIEVE that HE loves you!! And that He wants the BEST for you!! And that He will be your provider too!
Love, Tiff
Friday, April 3, 2009
Sick Sick Sick
In case you were wondering if I'd picked up the pace a little this week...
I haven't! BUT... not bc I'm being a bum!! I've been WAY sick all week! I didn't even get to play in the MOOSE game on Sunday!! Bummer!!! I haven't been able to eat ANYTHING (still managed to get to work each day but an hour (or 3) late usually). I"ve had incredibly low energy... bc I haven't been able to keep any food down... So ya... Its been an off week!!
BUT- I'm working on designing the "Moxie Girl" shirts... (with the help of a REAL graphic designer- Maggie) so we can all have them for our June 7th Race (that I'm still going to attempt to run!)...
I'm also planning on walking (maybe running a few minutes here and there) the Victory Over Violence 5k in Ft Worth. A few of the girsl are coming and it should be a good time!!
I kinda feel like my knees are better (but then again i've done NOTHING For 2 wks)... i guess we'll see after the walk and after Softball on Sunday if I am recouped or not... hopefully I'll be good as new and can start over on my interval training.
I think I still want to be a runner... and I KNOW i definitely want to be more active as a lifestyle... but man- sometimes its exhausting!!
I'll let you know how I do this weekend!
BE ACTIVE!!!
Tiff
I haven't! BUT... not bc I'm being a bum!! I've been WAY sick all week! I didn't even get to play in the MOOSE game on Sunday!! Bummer!!! I haven't been able to eat ANYTHING (still managed to get to work each day but an hour (or 3) late usually). I"ve had incredibly low energy... bc I haven't been able to keep any food down... So ya... Its been an off week!!
BUT- I'm working on designing the "Moxie Girl" shirts... (with the help of a REAL graphic designer- Maggie) so we can all have them for our June 7th Race (that I'm still going to attempt to run!)...
I'm also planning on walking (maybe running a few minutes here and there) the Victory Over Violence 5k in Ft Worth. A few of the girsl are coming and it should be a good time!!
I kinda feel like my knees are better (but then again i've done NOTHING For 2 wks)... i guess we'll see after the walk and after Softball on Sunday if I am recouped or not... hopefully I'll be good as new and can start over on my interval training.
I think I still want to be a runner... and I KNOW i definitely want to be more active as a lifestyle... but man- sometimes its exhausting!!
I'll let you know how I do this weekend!
BE ACTIVE!!!
Tiff
Monday, March 30, 2009
Slacking...
So I've been slacking on the blog... which unfortunately also means I've been slacking on the working out...
Since my knees have been hurting, I wanted to give it a week off to rest... so I did (and they still hurt). Hmm... I was going to go walk at the lake the other day, but it got cold and who wants to be at the lake when its cold!? (of course, I dont really want to be out there when its boiling hot either...)
I am totally encouraged by one of our MOXIE girls though! Chrissy ran the Bearathon 1/2 marathon in Waco this past weekend!! The other girls who went to support her said she did AMAZING! She's totally inspiring!!! She finished under 2 hrs... (actually I dont even know what that means, but from the way ppl said it- It seems like its really good!)
Soooo I'm registered for the 5k on Sat in Ft Worth... i'm gonna be walking most of it- but I'm going to do it... I really need to go walk/jog today... but i had fever last night and this morning... so maybe I should go easy... this is tough! I'm kinda not having much confidence that I'm gonna be able to RUN the whole 5k on June 7... I think I need to really start working on my food intake a lot more and try to lose some LBs to make it easier on my joints to carry me! Hmmm...
OK well ... i just wanted to be honest about where I am and why im' not posting!!!!!!!!! Hopefully the next post will have some activity to report...
Pray that this stomach bug/fever goes away asap! I kinda feel miserable... and even had to miss Softball last night! Darn!
Since my knees have been hurting, I wanted to give it a week off to rest... so I did (and they still hurt). Hmm... I was going to go walk at the lake the other day, but it got cold and who wants to be at the lake when its cold!? (of course, I dont really want to be out there when its boiling hot either...)
I am totally encouraged by one of our MOXIE girls though! Chrissy ran the Bearathon 1/2 marathon in Waco this past weekend!! The other girls who went to support her said she did AMAZING! She's totally inspiring!!! She finished under 2 hrs... (actually I dont even know what that means, but from the way ppl said it- It seems like its really good!)
Soooo I'm registered for the 5k on Sat in Ft Worth... i'm gonna be walking most of it- but I'm going to do it... I really need to go walk/jog today... but i had fever last night and this morning... so maybe I should go easy... this is tough! I'm kinda not having much confidence that I'm gonna be able to RUN the whole 5k on June 7... I think I need to really start working on my food intake a lot more and try to lose some LBs to make it easier on my joints to carry me! Hmmm...
OK well ... i just wanted to be honest about where I am and why im' not posting!!!!!!!!! Hopefully the next post will have some activity to report...
Pray that this stomach bug/fever goes away asap! I kinda feel miserable... and even had to miss Softball last night! Darn!
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Slow Week
So its Wednesday and I haven't posted in 2 days...
Thats because I haven't really done much in 2 days... oops! I did ride a stationary bike yesterday for about 10 min in our 'workout room" at the church. We're working on cleaning it out and making it better all around! So hopefuly I can spend more time in there - esp on yucky/off/or busy days!
My knee is really hurting me- even to like fake jog down the hall when I pick up nathan and "race" to get back to my office... it hurts!
SO- do I just get over the pain (something I KNOW I can do... esp after labor!) and run anywya... or do I baby it, take it easy?? Hmmm I just don't know! I dont like being off my 'schedule" bc I have GOALS PPL!! And I"m having a hard enough time keeping those goals as it is!!! Much less adding injury! Ugh!!!
I did register for the April 4th Victory over Violence 5k.. I'm going to walk a lot and run some hopefully with one of my running girls, Alison! It should be tons of fun! I will get a chip- so this race will be a good baseline for the one I plan to ACTUALLY run on June 7th!
Thats about it in the land of becoming! :) I'm on pause till I figure out what to do and how hard to train/push/etc.
Tiff
Thats because I haven't really done much in 2 days... oops! I did ride a stationary bike yesterday for about 10 min in our 'workout room" at the church. We're working on cleaning it out and making it better all around! So hopefuly I can spend more time in there - esp on yucky/off/or busy days!
My knee is really hurting me- even to like fake jog down the hall when I pick up nathan and "race" to get back to my office... it hurts!
SO- do I just get over the pain (something I KNOW I can do... esp after labor!) and run anywya... or do I baby it, take it easy?? Hmmm I just don't know! I dont like being off my 'schedule" bc I have GOALS PPL!! And I"m having a hard enough time keeping those goals as it is!!! Much less adding injury! Ugh!!!
I did register for the April 4th Victory over Violence 5k.. I'm going to walk a lot and run some hopefully with one of my running girls, Alison! It should be tons of fun! I will get a chip- so this race will be a good baseline for the one I plan to ACTUALLY run on June 7th!
Thats about it in the land of becoming! :) I'm on pause till I figure out what to do and how hard to train/push/etc.
Tiff
Monday, March 23, 2009
Want it, Win it, I WON!! :)
So i just checked out my email and it appears that I am a winner!!
How exiting!!
I recently stumbled upon a blog for mom's who are trying to workout!
www.workoutmommy.com
She has great tips on how to work out in short time spans and it has already been a big blessing, encouragement, and help to me to read her blog!
So here's the link to the contest that I entered...
http://workoutmommy.com/2009/03/16/want-it-win-it-fitness-top-by-sport-science/
and here's the email I got Sat night... Tiffany, congrats--you are the winner! please email me with your mailing address, shirt size and color preference. Thanks! :)
YAY! I win! :)
I like to win!! And I'm excited about this new workout shirt!!
How exiting!!
I recently stumbled upon a blog for mom's who are trying to workout!
www.workoutmommy.com
She has great tips on how to work out in short time spans and it has already been a big blessing, encouragement, and help to me to read her blog!
So here's the link to the contest that I entered...
http://workoutmommy.com/2009/03/16/want-it-win-it-fitness-top-by-sport-science/
and here's the email I got Sat night... Tiffany, congrats--you are the winner! please email me with your mailing address, shirt size and color preference. Thanks! :)
YAY! I win! :)
I like to win!! And I'm excited about this new workout shirt!!
Weekend Update
This weekend has been CRAZY and Busy and WONDERFUL all at the same time!! :)
Saturday morning, my wonderful TEAM MOXIE friends all met up at Moxie Girl Chrissy's house on Swiss for a group Walk/Run! It was tons of fuN! She had the route all mapped out for us... I'm not sure how long i actually RAN... but i did run some... (prob less than everyone else though! I'm sooo the slowest and one that gets tired easiest!! how I long to run with ease like the majority of my 'team'! Man!) Chrissy tells us we did 1.5 mi.. and it took about 35 min.
After the run, I ran off to Softball practice. Yes folks- I'm playing Softball! I like going to the games and have been at almost every one for the last couple of yrs... it's always been such a fun time of fellowship and community- but usually I'm just sitting in the stands. This time, I'll be in the Dugout (most of the game I'm sure!) and I'll be part of a team! I'm excited!
So practice was fine- i was only there about 30 min or so bc I had a baby shower to goto... but later that night, my arm and side were SO SORE!!! I guess I"m not used to those muscles workin! Even the muscle in my left hand (Glove hand) between my thumb and first finger was sore from moving the glove closed when I was catching the ball! So weird! But I feel like its a good thing!! No Pain - No Gain!! :)
After that- I got to goto a Jump party for some fantastic 4 yr olds w my little man! I didn't jump nearly as much as I did at Pump it up! BUT i managed a few minutes here and there w my little guy! It was SO much fun playing w him! And I LOVED having more energy to chase him around!
So one negative thing about Sat... and all the activity... my KNEES ARE KILLING ME! They hurt soooo bad! I can barely jog w out feeling pain - seems like its kinda in the joints when I put my foot down and its the impact or something that is hurting it. I really dont' want to be stopped before I START on this whole running thing... its annoying to not only have to overcome myself and motivation, and just trying to run endurance wise, but also having to overcome the physical thing too! UGH!
Oh well! hopefully it will all be ok. i'm resting today because of it. And to be honest, I'm happy about that. I just REALLY want to hit my goal of the 5k in june- running the WHOLE thing.
Sunday was the softball game and I didn't play much. I did get to throw a lot during the day (my arm needs work!) and practice w some of my friends. It was fun to have something to do that I enjoyed!! (even if my arm and side and back ARE sore!) I went up to bat twice .. and I'll be working on my swing this week hopefully! (never been to a "batting Cages" before so that could be fuN!).
I think thats my recap of activity for the weekend. As hard as running STILL is for me (even at just 3 minutes), I'm so happy to be transforming my life into one w LOTS of activity! :) I've never been a super physically active person (just really SOCIALLY active) and so its really fun to be changing my life- one day at a time!
Love,
The TIRED and SORE but believing its worth it RIT
Tiff
Saturday morning, my wonderful TEAM MOXIE friends all met up at Moxie Girl Chrissy's house on Swiss for a group Walk/Run! It was tons of fuN! She had the route all mapped out for us... I'm not sure how long i actually RAN... but i did run some... (prob less than everyone else though! I'm sooo the slowest and one that gets tired easiest!! how I long to run with ease like the majority of my 'team'! Man!) Chrissy tells us we did 1.5 mi.. and it took about 35 min.
After the run, I ran off to Softball practice. Yes folks- I'm playing Softball! I like going to the games and have been at almost every one for the last couple of yrs... it's always been such a fun time of fellowship and community- but usually I'm just sitting in the stands. This time, I'll be in the Dugout (most of the game I'm sure!) and I'll be part of a team! I'm excited!
So practice was fine- i was only there about 30 min or so bc I had a baby shower to goto... but later that night, my arm and side were SO SORE!!! I guess I"m not used to those muscles workin! Even the muscle in my left hand (Glove hand) between my thumb and first finger was sore from moving the glove closed when I was catching the ball! So weird! But I feel like its a good thing!! No Pain - No Gain!! :)
After that- I got to goto a Jump party for some fantastic 4 yr olds w my little man! I didn't jump nearly as much as I did at Pump it up! BUT i managed a few minutes here and there w my little guy! It was SO much fun playing w him! And I LOVED having more energy to chase him around!
So one negative thing about Sat... and all the activity... my KNEES ARE KILLING ME! They hurt soooo bad! I can barely jog w out feeling pain - seems like its kinda in the joints when I put my foot down and its the impact or something that is hurting it. I really dont' want to be stopped before I START on this whole running thing... its annoying to not only have to overcome myself and motivation, and just trying to run endurance wise, but also having to overcome the physical thing too! UGH!
Oh well! hopefully it will all be ok. i'm resting today because of it. And to be honest, I'm happy about that. I just REALLY want to hit my goal of the 5k in june- running the WHOLE thing.
Sunday was the softball game and I didn't play much. I did get to throw a lot during the day (my arm needs work!) and practice w some of my friends. It was fun to have something to do that I enjoyed!! (even if my arm and side and back ARE sore!) I went up to bat twice .. and I'll be working on my swing this week hopefully! (never been to a "batting Cages" before so that could be fuN!).
I think thats my recap of activity for the weekend. As hard as running STILL is for me (even at just 3 minutes), I'm so happy to be transforming my life into one w LOTS of activity! :) I've never been a super physically active person (just really SOCIALLY active) and so its really fun to be changing my life- one day at a time!
Love,
The TIRED and SORE but believing its worth it RIT
Tiff
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Week 2 is hard already!!
I decided I wanted to move right away into Wk 2. (That is 5 min walk, 3 min runs Four times)...
I knew it was going to be tough, so I texted a few of my "running girls" to see if anyone could meet me. Luckily Margaret was free! Yay! I decided we should meet in the middle and get a change of scenery and so we went to White Rock (it was in the middle between work and where Marg was and I've been wanting to go out there but not really by myself!)
I LOVE lakes and so I thought it would motivate me if I had something pretty to look at...
WEll... it started ok... we got on the trail and we were off... 10 min walking to warm up and then the time was coming for the first 3 min set. It started off just fine... no biggie... I felt like it was FOREVER... looked at my watch at 2min or so... and was like- man! Ok... Keep going! (Marg was a big help too!) So we pushed it ... i looked at the watch again... 20 seconds left... so we decided I had to run to a certain tree before I could look again... I did and guess what? I ran 10 seconds over!!! So that was a good one!
The second time around, I ran and started getting that side pain again about 40 seconds from the end of the 3 min. IT HURT!!! A LOT! So I made it the whole 3 minutes... BARELY.... and then was in pain as we walked... SOOO I was the time keeper and Marg and I were just chatting away and I kinda never told her when the time was up for us to run again! OOPS! :) I just didnt' want to! She didn't seem to notice.
Everytime a bicycler rode past us I was LONGING to be on something that would carry me far and fast... instead of having to use my own body to do so! Marg swears it isn't any easier.... but i'm pretty sure it is! I used to have a bike and I LOVED to ride... and go fast... and just travel wherever... now walking and running... its so hard to LOVE. Actually I'm doing good to just not LOATHE it!!! :)
It was getting late (Marg had to be somewherE) so I told her she could run ahead... in which case she asked when we do the next interval run and I said...uh... 10 min ago!!! Twice by now!!:) So after that, she didn't want to run ahead... she wanted to make me run... sooo... we did. However at about 2:20 my side was hurting again, we were going uphill, the sun was BEATING down, and it was MISERABLE... so I just stopped running to walk. Of course as soon as marg noticed she was on me to "Pick up your feet! Move!! Jog, or at least BOUNCE!!!" So I did... for like another 10 -15 seconds... and then we're on this steep incline... and I'm DYING, my KNEES were hurting and I stopped again... She got on me again (which I'm thankful for) and so i started sorta running again... till the end.... but I prob only got in about 2:45 of actual running... w all the stops and starts.
I did NOT feel good in the end. I wasn't exhillerated, or even proud of myself really. Ya I upped it to 3 min... but I didnt' complete 4 cycles... just 3... and a weak 3 at that. I kinda felt like I failed Wk 2 #1! Like I should redo it bc it didn't count... Honestly, I was disappointed. I was disappointed that it was so hard! I was disappointed that I didn't push through, disappointed that my knee hurt, disappointed that I wanted to quit bc it was hard and HOT HOT HOT! I really started to wonder if I REALLY am cut out for this running thing.. or if this was just some crazy LOFTY goal.
Of course I feel like some of that emotion could be bc yesterday was the first FULL day of that wonderful time of the month. And I consoled myself later in the evening by remembering that most of the time on the FIRST day, I'm bloated and barely do ANYTHING... and at least I was out exercising for 45 min and ran some of that. But... thats a weak consolation right now. I just dont know if i CAN do this! I mean, I want to... I'm gonna work hard on it... I'm going to push myself... but I'm lacking the faith or even that hope that I'll be able to run the whole 5K in June... and then I'll feel like I failed.
Its dumb... I know! It really is. I'm doing SOMETHING... and surely the endurance and strength will be built up... surely! But the idea of running 5 min at a time or even 8 min in the next couple of weeks... really scares me... bc I dont know if I have it in me. I'm not totally discouraged and I'm not giving up... but I'm bummed! This is REALLY hard.
I feel like changing the verse Phil 4:13- I think i can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, or I really hope I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
Sigh.........
Till next time,
Tiff
Workout stats: Time: 45 min, Distance: 2 mi (ish), Run Time: 8 min, 55 seconds. (should have been 12 min!)
I knew it was going to be tough, so I texted a few of my "running girls" to see if anyone could meet me. Luckily Margaret was free! Yay! I decided we should meet in the middle and get a change of scenery and so we went to White Rock (it was in the middle between work and where Marg was and I've been wanting to go out there but not really by myself!)
I LOVE lakes and so I thought it would motivate me if I had something pretty to look at...
WEll... it started ok... we got on the trail and we were off... 10 min walking to warm up and then the time was coming for the first 3 min set. It started off just fine... no biggie... I felt like it was FOREVER... looked at my watch at 2min or so... and was like- man! Ok... Keep going! (Marg was a big help too!) So we pushed it ... i looked at the watch again... 20 seconds left... so we decided I had to run to a certain tree before I could look again... I did and guess what? I ran 10 seconds over!!! So that was a good one!
The second time around, I ran and started getting that side pain again about 40 seconds from the end of the 3 min. IT HURT!!! A LOT! So I made it the whole 3 minutes... BARELY.... and then was in pain as we walked... SOOO I was the time keeper and Marg and I were just chatting away and I kinda never told her when the time was up for us to run again! OOPS! :) I just didnt' want to! She didn't seem to notice.
Everytime a bicycler rode past us I was LONGING to be on something that would carry me far and fast... instead of having to use my own body to do so! Marg swears it isn't any easier.... but i'm pretty sure it is! I used to have a bike and I LOVED to ride... and go fast... and just travel wherever... now walking and running... its so hard to LOVE. Actually I'm doing good to just not LOATHE it!!! :)
It was getting late (Marg had to be somewherE) so I told her she could run ahead... in which case she asked when we do the next interval run and I said...uh... 10 min ago!!! Twice by now!!:) So after that, she didn't want to run ahead... she wanted to make me run... sooo... we did. However at about 2:20 my side was hurting again, we were going uphill, the sun was BEATING down, and it was MISERABLE... so I just stopped running to walk. Of course as soon as marg noticed she was on me to "Pick up your feet! Move!! Jog, or at least BOUNCE!!!" So I did... for like another 10 -15 seconds... and then we're on this steep incline... and I'm DYING, my KNEES were hurting and I stopped again... She got on me again (which I'm thankful for) and so i started sorta running again... till the end.... but I prob only got in about 2:45 of actual running... w all the stops and starts.
I did NOT feel good in the end. I wasn't exhillerated, or even proud of myself really. Ya I upped it to 3 min... but I didnt' complete 4 cycles... just 3... and a weak 3 at that. I kinda felt like I failed Wk 2 #1! Like I should redo it bc it didn't count... Honestly, I was disappointed. I was disappointed that it was so hard! I was disappointed that I didn't push through, disappointed that my knee hurt, disappointed that I wanted to quit bc it was hard and HOT HOT HOT! I really started to wonder if I REALLY am cut out for this running thing.. or if this was just some crazy LOFTY goal.
Of course I feel like some of that emotion could be bc yesterday was the first FULL day of that wonderful time of the month. And I consoled myself later in the evening by remembering that most of the time on the FIRST day, I'm bloated and barely do ANYTHING... and at least I was out exercising for 45 min and ran some of that. But... thats a weak consolation right now. I just dont know if i CAN do this! I mean, I want to... I'm gonna work hard on it... I'm going to push myself... but I'm lacking the faith or even that hope that I'll be able to run the whole 5K in June... and then I'll feel like I failed.
Its dumb... I know! It really is. I'm doing SOMETHING... and surely the endurance and strength will be built up... surely! But the idea of running 5 min at a time or even 8 min in the next couple of weeks... really scares me... bc I dont know if I have it in me. I'm not totally discouraged and I'm not giving up... but I'm bummed! This is REALLY hard.
I feel like changing the verse Phil 4:13- I think i can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, or I really hope I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
Sigh.........
Till next time,
Tiff
Workout stats: Time: 45 min, Distance: 2 mi (ish), Run Time: 8 min, 55 seconds. (should have been 12 min!)
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Wk 1 is DONE!
So I went and ran right after work today. I started a bit late and daycare closes at 6, so I cut out 5 min of the first 10 min walking part. (might have been a bad idea but you gotta do what you gotta do). I was really hoping this would be a BREEZE! I mean, its been 3 times so far... and I am starting on "wk 2" intervals next workout (aka 3 min of solid run time as opposed to 2 min) so I thought it'd be fun!
WRONG!
It was just as hard as the 2nd time!! I was checkin time when I had about 40 seconds left every time I ran. I was hot and sweating. There were too many ppl on the track, and it was just rough!!
BUT- I DID IT! I finished 4 workouts running in 2 minute intervals consistently without quitting! yay!
I actually think my energy has something to do with what I eat (shocker- I know)... but on the 2nd and 4th time doing this workout- I had eaten within the 2 hrs before and i just felt heavier. The 3rd time- I went at lunch and had only had a slimfast shake that morning and some juice. I felt so much more energized then! Of course it could have to do with the time of day too- 5pm, end of the work day, etc. But man! I want to do something to change that on my next workout!!
Oh well- its done... (only a million more workouts to go before I'm ready for the 5k... or even for the 1k in just 2.5 wks- YIKES!!!!!)
PS- on a side note, THANK YOU everyone for your encouragement, your comments, your emails, etc! They mean the WORLD to me! I can't believe that my decision to be a runner and to start a blog about it have resulted in so much encouragement. And its cool that some of the encouragements come just when I start to wonder if I can REALLY do this... or if I'm NUTS! God is SOOO good to me!
I feel REALLY silly that people have said I've encouraged them and inspired them when I'm just doing something I should have done a long time ago (take care of myself) and writing about it. Anyway, its such a blessing to me! God works in amazing ways!
Now quit reading and go be ACTIVE!!! :) If i can do it- YOU can!!!
- A VERY sweaty RIT!
Tiff
WRONG!
It was just as hard as the 2nd time!! I was checkin time when I had about 40 seconds left every time I ran. I was hot and sweating. There were too many ppl on the track, and it was just rough!!
BUT- I DID IT! I finished 4 workouts running in 2 minute intervals consistently without quitting! yay!
I actually think my energy has something to do with what I eat (shocker- I know)... but on the 2nd and 4th time doing this workout- I had eaten within the 2 hrs before and i just felt heavier. The 3rd time- I went at lunch and had only had a slimfast shake that morning and some juice. I felt so much more energized then! Of course it could have to do with the time of day too- 5pm, end of the work day, etc. But man! I want to do something to change that on my next workout!!
Oh well- its done... (only a million more workouts to go before I'm ready for the 5k... or even for the 1k in just 2.5 wks- YIKES!!!!!)
PS- on a side note, THANK YOU everyone for your encouragement, your comments, your emails, etc! They mean the WORLD to me! I can't believe that my decision to be a runner and to start a blog about it have resulted in so much encouragement. And its cool that some of the encouragements come just when I start to wonder if I can REALLY do this... or if I'm NUTS! God is SOOO good to me!
I feel REALLY silly that people have said I've encouraged them and inspired them when I'm just doing something I should have done a long time ago (take care of myself) and writing about it. Anyway, its such a blessing to me! God works in amazing ways!
Now quit reading and go be ACTIVE!!! :) If i can do it- YOU can!!!
- A VERY sweaty RIT!
Tiff
Weak in the Knees
On Monday, I did my 3rd interval workout at lunch. Then when I got home, I did a Total Gym Workout in the evening. I'm not too terribly sore all over, but yesterday when I got up, my knees were a little weak! They didn't HURT so to speak... but just kinda feel funny.
I decided to take yesterday off, hoping that a little rest would do them good! I'm hoping my knee won't be a problem!
I had a snow skiing accident on our Church Sr Ski Trip in '98 up in New Mexico. I was coming down the mountain zig zagging like a good little beginner when all the sudden this snowboarder comes out of nowhere and somehow clips the back of my right ski. He hits it from the inside kinda so the back of the ski went to my right, twisted me around and I landed facing up the mountain. I still remember the guy just looked at me, got up and took off without so much as a Sorry or Are You Ok?! Hmmm I've kinda had a grudge against snowboarders ever since!!
So that was in Jan of 98 and then July of 98 I had to have Orthoscopic Knee surgery. I honestly don't even remember what they did (I think I blocked it out!) but I know I have 3 tiny little scars around that knee. I'm pretty sure I didn't rehab it all that great bc I wasn't worried about it back then... I was just about to head off to college for the first time and doing physical therapy was the last thing on my mind!
I've never been all that athletic, so I always thought it was odd that my knee hurt from time to time. Its not like I've been hard on it!
So I definitely don't want to reinjure the knee and am a bit concerned! Its only been 2 wks of this little journey I'm on and I dont want to get stopped before I even get started!!
I'm going to try to do my LAST set of the 1st interval running (2 min at a time) today at lunch! I'll let you know how the knee feels after that! It seems so silly that I would have an injury issue already!! I just started 2 wks ago! (wow was it just 2 wks?! So much has changed since then!)
Tiff, the R.I.T!
I decided to take yesterday off, hoping that a little rest would do them good! I'm hoping my knee won't be a problem!
I had a snow skiing accident on our Church Sr Ski Trip in '98 up in New Mexico. I was coming down the mountain zig zagging like a good little beginner when all the sudden this snowboarder comes out of nowhere and somehow clips the back of my right ski. He hits it from the inside kinda so the back of the ski went to my right, twisted me around and I landed facing up the mountain. I still remember the guy just looked at me, got up and took off without so much as a Sorry or Are You Ok?! Hmmm I've kinda had a grudge against snowboarders ever since!!
So that was in Jan of 98 and then July of 98 I had to have Orthoscopic Knee surgery. I honestly don't even remember what they did (I think I blocked it out!) but I know I have 3 tiny little scars around that knee. I'm pretty sure I didn't rehab it all that great bc I wasn't worried about it back then... I was just about to head off to college for the first time and doing physical therapy was the last thing on my mind!
I've never been all that athletic, so I always thought it was odd that my knee hurt from time to time. Its not like I've been hard on it!
So I definitely don't want to reinjure the knee and am a bit concerned! Its only been 2 wks of this little journey I'm on and I dont want to get stopped before I even get started!!
I'm going to try to do my LAST set of the 1st interval running (2 min at a time) today at lunch! I'll let you know how the knee feels after that! It seems so silly that I would have an injury issue already!! I just started 2 wks ago! (wow was it just 2 wks?! So much has changed since then!)
Maybe I should wear a knee brace just as a precaution?? That seems annoying! I guess we'll see how it feels after today! hopefully I just overworked it on Monday and it will be fine as it gets stronger!
If you have tips on how to keep my knee safe- feel free to post!Tiff, the R.I.T!
Monday, March 16, 2009
3rd Interval Workout & Butterflies!
I've been trying to figure out when I was going to get my workouts in this week. I want to be able to train 4 days a week - but its really hard to get that many in- esp in they are supposed to be evenly spaced!!! YOWZERS!
So today- I decided it's been several days (thurs night) since I got to try to Run... and since I just got new shoes yesterday- (from Luke's Locker on Oaklawn! Great place! I ended up with some fun Asics and learned I need a "Neutral shoe"! I also purchased running socks- who knew you had to have special socks?!) I wanted to test them out!!
The day was AMAZING and I didnt' want to waste it! I changed in my office; put on my new Danskin pants and T-shirt (from Walmart), laced up my new shoes, got out my ipod and my new arm band thingie for it & headed out the door to Eastfield College where they have a great 1 mile track! I was ready to go!
So I found some music that was fun to walk/run to... All American Rejects and put it on Shuffle and I was off!! Started out with 10 min of walking (warmup plus the first 5 min interval walk)... The breeze was cool and energizing! I even saw a pretty yellow butterfly (see previous post) that flittered across my path at this one turn and smiled. I was really enjoying my time outdoors with the blue sky as my ceiling and the green grass as my floor!! It was a great start!
Then it was time for the first 2 minute run... I did pretty good! I didn't look at my watch at ALL until i had like 6 seconds left!! YAY! I actually accidently stoped 5 seconds early bc I got confused when I looked at my watch! Oops! Oh well! The 2nd 2 minutes were a little tougher... but I didn't look at my watch till I only had about 17 seconds left- so I kept going and looked ahead and pushed myself (just get to the next tree, etc) and then when I finally looked down at my watch- I'd gone 17 seconds OVER the 2 minutes!!! SERIOUSLY!????
I was SOOO proud of myself!! It seems ridiculous that 2:17 is really that big of a deal when 2 min isn't that long... but it IS a big deal when the last 30 seconds usually KILL YOU! I was pumped!! I smiled all through the next 5 min walk!! So the 3rd interval was actually the hardest! But at the end of it (I looked at my watch w like 15 seconds left) I was in that same part where I'd seen the butterfly before. I just said "Come on God, where's the butterfly!? Come on! Show me! Encourage me!!"... and do you know what?!?!?! That little yellow butterfly flittered back the other way across my path! YES!!! (I feel dumb writing this... but it was SOOO encouraging!) I totally felt like God met me in the little by sending that little yellow butterfly flittering back across my path at the last few seconds of my run!! When I went back to walking- I realized I'd even run an extra 5 seconds!!
However, when I started walking after that interval, I had pain! That pain in my side/ribcage that made me hate running when I was little. The pain that I hadn't felt since 6th grade when I vowed to NEVER run again! I kept walking and breathing and put my hands on my waist... drank some water... before the 5 min was up... it was gone! yay! (ps anyone have any hints on why that happens and what I can do to prevent it?!)
The final run started right by the little pond where I was delighted to see a bunch of little turtles on the bank!! So fun!! So it was tough, but i vowed to not look at my watch till I got to the 3/4 marker on the ground at a certain point. When I got there- I had 10 seconds left... so then I was going to goto the next tree... When I got to that tree, I'd gone 7 seconds over!!!!! YES!!!
When I started walking again, I was smiling, I felt accomplished, i knew God had met me out on that track and I had renewed confidence! I did it!! By Myself!! I did it!! :) I even went further than I intended!! Yay!!
One more of the 2 min intervals and then I'm up to 3 minutes at a time!! I can't believe I'm about to say this- but I think I'll be ready!!!
I can do ALL things through Christ who gives me strength!! Phil 4:13!
SOOO you go out and enjoy God's creation and be blessed!!
Tiff
Stats: Time: 40 min, Distance: 2 miles, Total Running Time: 8 min 25 seconds!
So today- I decided it's been several days (thurs night) since I got to try to Run... and since I just got new shoes yesterday- (from Luke's Locker on Oaklawn! Great place! I ended up with some fun Asics and learned I need a "Neutral shoe"! I also purchased running socks- who knew you had to have special socks?!) I wanted to test them out!!
The day was AMAZING and I didnt' want to waste it! I changed in my office; put on my new Danskin pants and T-shirt (from Walmart), laced up my new shoes, got out my ipod and my new arm band thingie for it & headed out the door to Eastfield College where they have a great 1 mile track! I was ready to go!
So I found some music that was fun to walk/run to... All American Rejects and put it on Shuffle and I was off!! Started out with 10 min of walking (warmup plus the first 5 min interval walk)... The breeze was cool and energizing! I even saw a pretty yellow butterfly (see previous post) that flittered across my path at this one turn and smiled. I was really enjoying my time outdoors with the blue sky as my ceiling and the green grass as my floor!! It was a great start!
Then it was time for the first 2 minute run... I did pretty good! I didn't look at my watch at ALL until i had like 6 seconds left!! YAY! I actually accidently stoped 5 seconds early bc I got confused when I looked at my watch! Oops! Oh well! The 2nd 2 minutes were a little tougher... but I didn't look at my watch till I only had about 17 seconds left- so I kept going and looked ahead and pushed myself (just get to the next tree, etc) and then when I finally looked down at my watch- I'd gone 17 seconds OVER the 2 minutes!!! SERIOUSLY!????
I was SOOO proud of myself!! It seems ridiculous that 2:17 is really that big of a deal when 2 min isn't that long... but it IS a big deal when the last 30 seconds usually KILL YOU! I was pumped!! I smiled all through the next 5 min walk!! So the 3rd interval was actually the hardest! But at the end of it (I looked at my watch w like 15 seconds left) I was in that same part where I'd seen the butterfly before. I just said "Come on God, where's the butterfly!? Come on! Show me! Encourage me!!"... and do you know what?!?!?! That little yellow butterfly flittered back the other way across my path! YES!!! (I feel dumb writing this... but it was SOOO encouraging!) I totally felt like God met me in the little by sending that little yellow butterfly flittering back across my path at the last few seconds of my run!! When I went back to walking- I realized I'd even run an extra 5 seconds!!
However, when I started walking after that interval, I had pain! That pain in my side/ribcage that made me hate running when I was little. The pain that I hadn't felt since 6th grade when I vowed to NEVER run again! I kept walking and breathing and put my hands on my waist... drank some water... before the 5 min was up... it was gone! yay! (ps anyone have any hints on why that happens and what I can do to prevent it?!)
The final run started right by the little pond where I was delighted to see a bunch of little turtles on the bank!! So fun!! So it was tough, but i vowed to not look at my watch till I got to the 3/4 marker on the ground at a certain point. When I got there- I had 10 seconds left... so then I was going to goto the next tree... When I got to that tree, I'd gone 7 seconds over!!!!! YES!!!
When I started walking again, I was smiling, I felt accomplished, i knew God had met me out on that track and I had renewed confidence! I did it!! By Myself!! I did it!! :) I even went further than I intended!! Yay!!
One more of the 2 min intervals and then I'm up to 3 minutes at a time!! I can't believe I'm about to say this- but I think I'll be ready!!!
I can do ALL things through Christ who gives me strength!! Phil 4:13!
SOOO you go out and enjoy God's creation and be blessed!!
Tiff
Stats: Time: 40 min, Distance: 2 miles, Total Running Time: 8 min 25 seconds!
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Pump It Up
Just wanted to post really quick that today has been a really fun day so far!! I got to goto a 3 yr old BDAY party at Pump It Up! Its this fun place that is filled with inflatables and loud music where kids can run wild, jump, climb and slide on all the different things.
Well today, I was my kiddo's BEST friend! :) He wanted me to go with him on EVERYTHING... and I'm pretty sure in the past I just haven't had the energy to do so..... but today, I LOVED getting to run and jump and chase my kiddo up and down the slides and obstacles on the various inflatable thingies. It was a BLAST!! And I actually feel like I got a workout! I was sweaty and my heart rate was DEFINITELY elevated at several different points in the hour that we were playing!
If starting this workout/running thing helps me be a better mom/playmate for my little man, then it will be worth it! He was so happy to have me by his side. His face when I came up over this one obstacle to slide down to my little man was just sheer delight! I loved every minute!! Most of the other parents were just sitting quietly on the sidelines or talking w other moms. I was in there w the 3 or so dads that were playing actively with their kiddos! Greatness!!
In other news- I got the Total Gym in my apt last night- it is GREAT!! I can't wait to figure out what workouts I want to do on a consistent basis! It is exactly the piece of equipment i needed. It provides versatility and will be great cross training to build strength and endurance and hopefully some muscle definition as I go through this training period! It also folds up really small and will easily fit in my Coat Closet... BUT don't be surprised if it stays out most of the time! So if you come over- be warned! :)
Ok I have a busy day ahead, but just wanted to post about Pump It Up!
Have a super duper weekend!
Be active!
Tiffany
Well today, I was my kiddo's BEST friend! :) He wanted me to go with him on EVERYTHING... and I'm pretty sure in the past I just haven't had the energy to do so..... but today, I LOVED getting to run and jump and chase my kiddo up and down the slides and obstacles on the various inflatable thingies. It was a BLAST!! And I actually feel like I got a workout! I was sweaty and my heart rate was DEFINITELY elevated at several different points in the hour that we were playing!
If starting this workout/running thing helps me be a better mom/playmate for my little man, then it will be worth it! He was so happy to have me by his side. His face when I came up over this one obstacle to slide down to my little man was just sheer delight! I loved every minute!! Most of the other parents were just sitting quietly on the sidelines or talking w other moms. I was in there w the 3 or so dads that were playing actively with their kiddos! Greatness!!
In other news- I got the Total Gym in my apt last night- it is GREAT!! I can't wait to figure out what workouts I want to do on a consistent basis! It is exactly the piece of equipment i needed. It provides versatility and will be great cross training to build strength and endurance and hopefully some muscle definition as I go through this training period! It also folds up really small and will easily fit in my Coat Closet... BUT don't be surprised if it stays out most of the time! So if you come over- be warned! :)
Ok I have a busy day ahead, but just wanted to post about Pump It Up!
Have a super duper weekend!
Be active!
Tiffany
Thursday, March 12, 2009
2nd Interval Workout
Last Night while some really cool guys took my little man to play at Chuck E Cheese, I got to hang with my sister AND THEN grab some (healthy? prob not) food at ZuZu's and then go hang out at one of my Favorite Running Girls' house. She has a treadmill up in her attic room along with some jump ropes, and satellite music! We flipped stations constantly but always kept it upbeat!
So I jumped on the treadmill and was determined to do another of my 'interval workout's - Week 1!" I started with 10 min of walking, then 2 min of running. Surprisingly, the first minute or so was fine, but the last minute was tough. Nonetheless, I didn't stop! I'm determined! Second set was a little better and it was no problem for about a minute and a half! The last 30 seconds were KILLER- but... didn't stop AND had 2 AWESOME cheerleaders literally cheering me on!! Thanks LeeAnn and Chrissy!
Around the 3rd interval, Scott brought Nate back and so it was fun to watch him play and interact with everyone while I kept up my workout! Of course, it was the last 30 seconds that were killer again!! The final interval wasn't SOOO bad.. but... that last 25 seconds is soooo the toughest!!
So I'm encouraged I did it TWICE this week (after not working out EVER in weeks past!)! I need to make it 2 more times before I can move to "week 2" on the interval training... which increases my run time to 3 minutes... man... I can't imagine how I"m going to make it... I feel like such a wimp only being able to run 1.5 minutes at a time without feeling like I"m gonna Fall Over!!! OMG! 3 minutes is gonna be tough! (I feel like that sounds RIDICULOUS btw!!! its JUST 3 minutes?!!! Right?!)
How am I EVER gonna make it to the 5K in june... or even the 1K in April!? I have faith that if I follow this plan and keep consistent, I'll make it! And thankfully I have some pretty awesome friends who want to see me succeed, who already like running, and who are willing to invest in me! Its a really great feeling!! I know without a doubt I would probably have given up on the goals by now (a week after I've made them) if not for these girls! I would believe the lie that its too hard or that I'm just not cut out to be a runner! But not only do I not want to let myself down... I really don't want to let them down either! I know they would love me anyway, but they believe in me almost more than I believe in myself and I want to give them reason to continue to do so!! I'm so encouraged!
So tonight I am getting my "Total Gym 1000"! I'll use it to cross train on days that I just can't get out and workout. hopefully it will be a nice supplement to the runs and help me develop more strength and endurance in these muscles I haven't used much in a while!
Sunday afternoon, my mission is to go buy the right shoes! I definitely don't want to injure myself in the beginning before I even get started! I've been told that Luke's Footlocker is the place to go...so thats where I'm headed! I'm sure I'll blog about the experience on Sunday or Monday in case you don't know what a "Luke's" is! (I didn't till a day or two ago!).
Thats all for now... Wish me luck getting the Run/Walk workout's in!!
Tiff
Workout Stats: Total Time: 40 min interval run/walking (plus some other exercise for prob 15 min), Total Distance: 1.5 mi, Total Running time: 8 min
So I jumped on the treadmill and was determined to do another of my 'interval workout's - Week 1!" I started with 10 min of walking, then 2 min of running. Surprisingly, the first minute or so was fine, but the last minute was tough. Nonetheless, I didn't stop! I'm determined! Second set was a little better and it was no problem for about a minute and a half! The last 30 seconds were KILLER- but... didn't stop AND had 2 AWESOME cheerleaders literally cheering me on!! Thanks LeeAnn and Chrissy!
Around the 3rd interval, Scott brought Nate back and so it was fun to watch him play and interact with everyone while I kept up my workout! Of course, it was the last 30 seconds that were killer again!! The final interval wasn't SOOO bad.. but... that last 25 seconds is soooo the toughest!!
So I'm encouraged I did it TWICE this week (after not working out EVER in weeks past!)! I need to make it 2 more times before I can move to "week 2" on the interval training... which increases my run time to 3 minutes... man... I can't imagine how I"m going to make it... I feel like such a wimp only being able to run 1.5 minutes at a time without feeling like I"m gonna Fall Over!!! OMG! 3 minutes is gonna be tough! (I feel like that sounds RIDICULOUS btw!!! its JUST 3 minutes?!!! Right?!)
How am I EVER gonna make it to the 5K in june... or even the 1K in April!? I have faith that if I follow this plan and keep consistent, I'll make it! And thankfully I have some pretty awesome friends who want to see me succeed, who already like running, and who are willing to invest in me! Its a really great feeling!! I know without a doubt I would probably have given up on the goals by now (a week after I've made them) if not for these girls! I would believe the lie that its too hard or that I'm just not cut out to be a runner! But not only do I not want to let myself down... I really don't want to let them down either! I know they would love me anyway, but they believe in me almost more than I believe in myself and I want to give them reason to continue to do so!! I'm so encouraged!
So tonight I am getting my "Total Gym 1000"! I'll use it to cross train on days that I just can't get out and workout. hopefully it will be a nice supplement to the runs and help me develop more strength and endurance in these muscles I haven't used much in a while!
Sunday afternoon, my mission is to go buy the right shoes! I definitely don't want to injure myself in the beginning before I even get started! I've been told that Luke's Footlocker is the place to go...so thats where I'm headed! I'm sure I'll blog about the experience on Sunday or Monday in case you don't know what a "Luke's" is! (I didn't till a day or two ago!).
Thats all for now... Wish me luck getting the Run/Walk workout's in!!
Tiff
Workout Stats: Total Time: 40 min interval run/walking (plus some other exercise for prob 15 min), Total Distance: 1.5 mi, Total Running time: 8 min
Productive?
Ok so last night it was rainy and REALLY cold.... so the run was out! I'm working on alternative bad weather workout options (cross training and such) but... instead- Last night I decided to shop - online and at Walmart.
Online- Craigslist- I went to look for the "alternative workout stuff" i was referring to above... I found a Total Gym 1000 in Addison for only $25 bucks!! Well that DEF fits my budget for workout equip so I emailed the guy right away!! I'm picking it up tomorrow!!
If you aren't familiar w the Total Gym- its the one that Chuck Norris endorses... it has to be good if Chuck likes it- right?
Here's a link of all the exercises you can do w this one little machine! I think I"m getting a STEAL!! :)
http://www.fitnessquest.com/images/TG1000ExerciseBk4_11_03.pdf
So then after having found the Total Gym... I head to walmart to get a few NECCESSARY (yes NECCESSARY!!) things!! If I"m gonna be working out- I have to have comfy clothes, a waterproof watch w a stopwatch on it (for all those intervals) and an armband for my ipod right? Right!!
There were some awesome deals on the Danskin brand workout attire... I got some pants, a jacket, a couple of shirts, and a few more things I need to return!
Next thing to purchase- hopefully this weekend maybe- are some GOOD shoes! I dont want to injure anything before I even get started so I've been told this is a MUST!! I'm also told that Luke's Footlocker is the place to go... sooo perhaps that will happen this weekend!
Thats all I have to report for today... I'm almost all "geared" up for my workout tonight (either on a treadmill at a friend's house- thanks CF! or running outside w the same wonderful running friend!!) I'm excited to put on the NEW clothes so that I LOOOK like I know what I'm doing!!
Stay warm and dry,
Tiff- the r.i.t. (runner in training!)
Online- Craigslist- I went to look for the "alternative workout stuff" i was referring to above... I found a Total Gym 1000 in Addison for only $25 bucks!! Well that DEF fits my budget for workout equip so I emailed the guy right away!! I'm picking it up tomorrow!!
If you aren't familiar w the Total Gym- its the one that Chuck Norris endorses... it has to be good if Chuck likes it- right?
Here's a link of all the exercises you can do w this one little machine! I think I"m getting a STEAL!! :)
http://www.fitnessquest.com/images/TG1000ExerciseBk4_11_03.pdf
So then after having found the Total Gym... I head to walmart to get a few NECCESSARY (yes NECCESSARY!!) things!! If I"m gonna be working out- I have to have comfy clothes, a waterproof watch w a stopwatch on it (for all those intervals) and an armband for my ipod right? Right!!
There were some awesome deals on the Danskin brand workout attire... I got some pants, a jacket, a couple of shirts, and a few more things I need to return!
Next thing to purchase- hopefully this weekend maybe- are some GOOD shoes! I dont want to injure anything before I even get started so I've been told this is a MUST!! I'm also told that Luke's Footlocker is the place to go... sooo perhaps that will happen this weekend!
Thats all I have to report for today... I'm almost all "geared" up for my workout tonight (either on a treadmill at a friend's house- thanks CF! or running outside w the same wonderful running friend!!) I'm excited to put on the NEW clothes so that I LOOOK like I know what I'm doing!!
Stay warm and dry,
Tiff- the r.i.t. (runner in training!)
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Butterfly's.. in case you were wondering
In case you were wondering what's with the butterfly's on the title bar...
I thought I'd explain...
The following word was sent to me by a friend back in Oct 08 and has been a continued encouragement:
Then from a blog I stumbled upon:
I thought I'd explain...
The following word was sent to me by a friend back in Oct 08 and has been a continued encouragement:
And then I came across the following story:"I saw a picture of you cuddled up on the ground and then there was this shell/covering that formed on top of you. It was a protection.. Not intended to isolate you. And then I read Philippians 3:20-21 (NIV & Message). I believe it's referring to when we go to heaven but I think it can pertain to our renewing on earth. The words that he will make us "beautiful and whole" stuck out to me.
And I was reminded of a worm being incased in a cocoon to protect it while it makes a transformation into something beautiful. I think that's something the lord continues to do throughout our walk with him - constantly changing, renewing, refining us to make us beautiful. You are Beautiful! And you are Loved!"
A man found a cocoon for a butterfly. One day a small opening appeared, he sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through the little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could and could go no farther.
Then the man decided to help the butterfly. He took a pair of scissors and snipped the remaining bit of the cocoon. The butterfly then emerged easily. Something was strange. The butterfly had a swollen body and shriveled wings. The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which would contract in time.
Neither happened. In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and deformed wings. It was never able to fly.
What the man in his kindness and haste did not understand, was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the small opening of the cocoon are God`s way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon.
Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our life. If God allowed us to go throughall our life without any obstacles, that would cripple us. We would not be as strong as what we could have been. Not only that, but we could never fly.
Then from a blog I stumbled upon:
"If I may make an analogy: the butterfly doesn’t want to come out of its cocoon. You’ve been in the world as a caterpillar, and you felt somewhat at peace with that. But you’re destined for bigger things, and you’re more beautiful and complex than anyone would judge by looking at you. The vibrant color would dazzle the eyes of many, and you’re terrified of showing it, because its different, and you want to be accepted, regardless of your feelings towards popularity on the whole.
I struggle with who I am. I struggle with what God’s doing in my life, because I can’t see what’s going on.I know truly that God is able to “do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine” (Eph. 3:20). Like get this butterfly out of her cocoon."
So... these 3 thoughts have been a constant reminder of this "Cocoon" phase that I'm in - physically, spiritually, and emotionally. The picture of the butterfly, to me, is a great reminder that there's more going on than what can be physically seen.... and that one day, I will emerge, "beautiful and whole."
“There is nothing in a caterpillar that tells you it’s going to be a butterfly.”- Richard Buckminster Fuller
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
1st Solo Run/Walk
SO I did it! The first time EVER by myself really...
I was determined to start off on this interval thing I posted 2 entries below. Week one begins now! (Meaning my target week 10 (aka the 5K) is around May 20th. Lets hope I can keep that up!)
I jetted after work over to the Track at Eastfield for the first time ever. it was unknown territory and all I knew was that it was supposed to make a mile all the way around. I grabbed my iPhone w the iTunes going, turned on my "iMapMyRun" to see if it really was in fact a mile and was off. The first 5 minutes I thought things were going to be easy... No big deal! Then it was time for my first 2 minute run. OMG! I thought I was gonna die!!! I looked at my phone no less than 50 times in that two minutes just HOPING the time was up!! BUT I DIDN"T STOP RUNNING!!!!! FINALLY, the 2 minutes (that seemed like 20) was over! I huffed and puffed my way through the 5 minute Walking part of the interval... and then it was time to run again....
Ya the 2nd time was pretty much just as bad!!! But- again, I didnt' stop running!! (and didn't even have anyone there to push me! I had to push myself!) Then the next 5 minute walk- and a pleasant surprise of some ducks in a little pond that I didn't even know existed out there. So then, the 3rd set of 2 minute running... and while it was hard, it wasn't quite as bad as the first two... now I still checked my phone a lot to see if it was over- but maybe not 50 times... maybe just like 6! (2 minutes feels SOOOOO long!) Then for the last stretch of walking before the final run... I had already passed my car and didn't want to be late coming back to get nate, so I decided to turn around and go the other direction about 3 min into the last walk. So then it was time for the last 2 minutes of running for my day today! YAY!
It started w a new song- can't remember what it was- probably NSync or something, but it was a great beat to run with (I used to be in marching band so I really can't help running or walking in step with whatever music is on at the moment!) I looked up at the clouds and noticed a plane flying high and I just started saying verses like "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength" (phil 4:13) and "Run the race so as to get the prize" 1 corin 4:24 and other stuff... and I actually (surprisingly to ME even) started SMILING while I was running. Yes it still hurt, and yes I was still tired... but I CAN DO THIS!! I WILL do this!!
This was day 1 of my interval training... I"m excited about getting to week 6 when I can run for 12 whole minutes without stopping! That seems ridiculously impossible right now! But We'll see!! I'm NOT giving up on this!! (Thanks to my girls who are helping keep me accountable!)
I am a runner.... (in the making!)
Tiff
Stats: Distance: 1.5mi, Time: 35 min, (Total RUN time: 8 LONG min)
I was determined to start off on this interval thing I posted 2 entries below. Week one begins now! (Meaning my target week 10 (aka the 5K) is around May 20th. Lets hope I can keep that up!)
I jetted after work over to the Track at Eastfield for the first time ever. it was unknown territory and all I knew was that it was supposed to make a mile all the way around. I grabbed my iPhone w the iTunes going, turned on my "iMapMyRun" to see if it really was in fact a mile and was off. The first 5 minutes I thought things were going to be easy... No big deal! Then it was time for my first 2 minute run. OMG! I thought I was gonna die!!! I looked at my phone no less than 50 times in that two minutes just HOPING the time was up!! BUT I DIDN"T STOP RUNNING!!!!! FINALLY, the 2 minutes (that seemed like 20) was over! I huffed and puffed my way through the 5 minute Walking part of the interval... and then it was time to run again....
Ya the 2nd time was pretty much just as bad!!! But- again, I didnt' stop running!! (and didn't even have anyone there to push me! I had to push myself!) Then the next 5 minute walk- and a pleasant surprise of some ducks in a little pond that I didn't even know existed out there. So then, the 3rd set of 2 minute running... and while it was hard, it wasn't quite as bad as the first two... now I still checked my phone a lot to see if it was over- but maybe not 50 times... maybe just like 6! (2 minutes feels SOOOOO long!) Then for the last stretch of walking before the final run... I had already passed my car and didn't want to be late coming back to get nate, so I decided to turn around and go the other direction about 3 min into the last walk. So then it was time for the last 2 minutes of running for my day today! YAY!
It started w a new song- can't remember what it was- probably NSync or something, but it was a great beat to run with (I used to be in marching band so I really can't help running or walking in step with whatever music is on at the moment!) I looked up at the clouds and noticed a plane flying high and I just started saying verses like "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength" (phil 4:13) and "Run the race so as to get the prize" 1 corin 4:24 and other stuff... and I actually (surprisingly to ME even) started SMILING while I was running. Yes it still hurt, and yes I was still tired... but I CAN DO THIS!! I WILL do this!!
This was day 1 of my interval training... I"m excited about getting to week 6 when I can run for 12 whole minutes without stopping! That seems ridiculously impossible right now! But We'll see!! I'm NOT giving up on this!! (Thanks to my girls who are helping keep me accountable!)
I am a runner.... (in the making!)
Tiff
Stats: Distance: 1.5mi, Time: 35 min, (Total RUN time: 8 LONG min)
Disclaimer Info on Interval Training
Disclaimer on the Run/Walk Program:
(I was just reading the text above the chart that I put on my last blog and thought I'd include it on here. I might need to change my workout plan/days due to what this says!)
- Taken from Womens Running Magazine March/April 2009 issue
(I was just reading the text above the chart that I put on my last blog and thought I'd include it on here. I might need to change my workout plan/days due to what this says!)
"Be sure to check with your doctor prior to starting any fitness program. This 10-wk program is based on running 4 days a week. Participants should be capable of walking briskly for 20 minutes before starting this plan. As a beginner, do not run more than two training days in a row. Remember to train, not strain, by taking REST days.
This training program builds gradually and will allow you to finish your first 5k feeling strong. Repeat each workout four times throught the week, spacing the training days evenly. For each workout, warm up and cool down with a five-minute walk. "4 intervals (5 min walk + 2 min run)" means walk for five minutes and run for two minutes, then repeat the set three more times.
During your training program, the first few sets of running may feel uncomfortable. If you ahve difficulty, take it slow. With regular workouts and persistence, you'll start to enjoy running. "
- Taken from Womens Running Magazine March/April 2009 issue
The Goals are SET!
So last night after LG, I got to have a great time of fellowship and planning with 3 of my favorite girls! We all set goals for ourselves in the realm of running! (while downing some Chick Fil A fries!! of course!)
So- for accountability sake- I will post my goals here:
Probably one of the BEST options would be June 7, 2009 in Plano, The Komen North Texas Race for the Cure. Its for a good cause, I could wear Pink and it'd be a great start to my 5K experience!
Now for the hard part... getting to those longer term goals....
I set up IMMEDIATE Goals and they are going to be divided into monthly goals (that may flex over time, but we'll see!)
I actually found a 1mile "fun run" (fun!? Really!?!? Man! I never thought I'd think that running is fun!!! EVER!!) on that above website on April 4 that I might consider registering for, just to push myself to make sure I get there! Plus it'd be good experience! Maybe I can talk some of my girls into doing it with me!! Its the "Victory Over Violence Walk/Run" in Ft Worth. Another good cause I'm sure! Why not?! Right???
_________________________________________________
Training Plan:
Daily Goals-
FOR NOW- this is my plan. It might change- but I'll keep updating this as to how it does change for greater accountability!
Interval Training
My Final post for today is going to be the Interval Training plan I"m going to follow until I can run for 40 min straight!!
Wk Run/Walk Workout (Repeat 4 times per week)
1- 5 min Warmup, 4 intervals of (5min walk + 2 min Run)
2- 5 min Warmup, 4 intervals of (5min walk + 3 min Run)
3- 5 min Warmup, 3 intervals of (5min walk + 5 min Run)
4- 5 min Warmup, 2 intervals of (5min walk + 8 min Run)
5- 5 min Warmup, 2 intervals of (5min walk + 10 min Run)
6- 5 min Warmup, 2 intervals of (5min walk + 12 min Run)
7- 5 min Warmup, 2 intervals of (5min walk + 14 min Run)
8- 5 min Warmup, 2 intervals of (5min walk + 16 min Run)
9- 5 min Warmup, 2 intervals of (5min walk + 18 min Run)
10- 5 min Warmup, 40 MIN RUN!!!!!!!!
I CAN DO THIS!!! :)
Tiff
So- for accountability sake- I will post my goals here:
I found a few potential 5K RACE options on http://www.runningintheusa.com/**Long Term Goal - Run the Cowtown 1/2 Marathon - Feb 27 or 28th, 2010 (13.1 Miles)
**Group Goal - Run the White Rock Relay Full Marathon - Dec 13, 2009
(Relay divided between 4 or 5 runners so btwn 4 and 6.5 miles.)
**Short Term Goal - Run a 5K before my 29th Birthday(June 9, 2009) -
(3.1 Miles)
Probably one of the BEST options would be June 7, 2009 in Plano, The Komen North Texas Race for the Cure. Its for a good cause, I could wear Pink and it'd be a great start to my 5K experience!
Now for the hard part... getting to those longer term goals....
I set up IMMEDIATE Goals and they are going to be divided into monthly goals (that may flex over time, but we'll see!)
**MARCH: get to where I can run a Mile (without stopping!) Doesn't sound like that big of a deal- but I can't really even run more than like 2 or 3 minutes without trying to quit right now... so a MILE sounds like a LOT to me!!
**APRIL: Run 2 Miles without Stopping
**MAY: Run 3 Miles without Stopping and be ready for the 5K!
I actually found a 1mile "fun run" (fun!? Really!?!? Man! I never thought I'd think that running is fun!!! EVER!!) on that above website on April 4 that I might consider registering for, just to push myself to make sure I get there! Plus it'd be good experience! Maybe I can talk some of my girls into doing it with me!! Its the "Victory Over Violence Walk/Run" in Ft Worth. Another good cause I'm sure! Why not?! Right???
_________________________________________________
Training Plan:
Daily Goals-
_______________________________________________________________**Tuesday's (Starting TODAY)- I will leave work at 5pm- change clothes and then go spend about 45 min run/walking the trail at Eastfield College (right across the st from my work). I will come back by 6 to get Nate and then we'll go home. Why didn't I think of this before?!!
**Wednesday's while Nate is in Awana- I will get a few of my girls to meet me (hopefully) at the track at Eastfield and do interval training until I can run for a solid 30 minutes. I basically will have from about 6:10 till 8:10 to work out, train, etc.
**Thursday's I will probably start leaving at 5, running at the Eastfield trail and then coming back to get Nate at 6, unless I can get a babysitter for a bit on Thurs evening (as is the case this week- thanks to some pretty awesome guys who asked if they could hang w Nate).
**Friday's- once a month at least I'd like to do the Ballroom dancing thing (but of course that will depend on Nate and where he is)
**Saturday's - For at least 1 hr on Saturday, I will take Nate with me somewhere to do something active- even if its just walking or kicking a ball with him or something. I want this to begin this week..... not sure if that will happen or not- but I am going to
try!!
**Sunday's - will be a day of Rest.
**Monday's - not sure yet! maybe a strength training during lunch break or something?! I dont know. I dont want to get all hot and sweaty bc we have LG on Mon night... so I might take Monday's off too or alternate Monday/Sunday or something. We'll see.
FOR NOW- this is my plan. It might change- but I'll keep updating this as to how it does change for greater accountability!
Interval Training
My Final post for today is going to be the Interval Training plan I"m going to follow until I can run for 40 min straight!!
Wk Run/Walk Workout (Repeat 4 times per week)
1- 5 min Warmup, 4 intervals of (5min walk + 2 min Run)
2- 5 min Warmup, 4 intervals of (5min walk + 3 min Run)
3- 5 min Warmup, 3 intervals of (5min walk + 5 min Run)
4- 5 min Warmup, 2 intervals of (5min walk + 8 min Run)
5- 5 min Warmup, 2 intervals of (5min walk + 10 min Run)
6- 5 min Warmup, 2 intervals of (5min walk + 12 min Run)
7- 5 min Warmup, 2 intervals of (5min walk + 14 min Run)
8- 5 min Warmup, 2 intervals of (5min walk + 16 min Run)
9- 5 min Warmup, 2 intervals of (5min walk + 18 min Run)
10- 5 min Warmup, 40 MIN RUN!!!!!!!!
I CAN DO THIS!!! :)
Tiff
Monday, March 9, 2009
The First Weekend
Well I wasn't FANTASTIC this weekend, but not terrible either! I was definitely more active this weekend than weekend's past!
Friday night I got to go Ballroom DANCING!!!! My FAV!! Unfortunately they didn't have their normal Live Band Night, but it was still a blast! I was happily surprised to find that I wasn't nearly as rusty as I thought I would be! It's been about 8 mo since I was there last and I just LOVE that place. I dont know what it is.
I got there and started off with a slow Lindy Hop with my fav swing dance Partner- Jordan. I realized my shoes have about had it and I may soon be in the market for some more! Throughout the night I did a Rumba, a Fox Trot (silver level, I"m told), Salsa, Meringue, Waltz (my least favorite and I did it TWICE!), a 2 Step, and some more Swing to end the night with a bang. I definitely worked up a sweat and my calves were killing me at the end of the night! I can't wait to go back! SO MUCH FUN- it doesn't even feel like WORK! Awesome!! I was actually relieved that the night was over at 10 as opposed to 11 like I had thought it would be!!
Saturday morning the goal was to get up early and go for a little run/walk with my 3 yr old, L.A, and M. We didn't make it up by 8... we snoozed till 9 and then finally got out of bed! After getting Nate ready, he decided he didn't want to ride his trike... so we opted to just bring him and a ball and see what happened! We got in about 30 good minutes of moderate walking (about 1.5mi according to my phone) on the Village Trails and Nate got to see the ducks! All in all- it was a great start to the CRAZY day!!
The rest of the day was spent driving all over Dallas and moving furniture - and i kinda count that as exercise too! :) Margaret got a SWEET couch from Craigslist and it was a fun day out and about!
Sunday I got to play in the nursery at Church and then after lunch a group of us went down to Reverchon Park and layed by the (river?). Not much exercise happened, but it was nice to just try to enjoy the outdoors! While we were there I read the Women's Running magazine cover to cover. I learned that I need new workout clothes (and underclothes), new shoes (well kinda already knew that) and a Beginners plan to work up to being a RUNNER! :)
As far as this week goes, I believe I should be able to run/walk Wed for sure while Nate's in Awana, and then need to get in 2 or 3 more days. I may shoot for Tues and Sat... though I'd like to get something in today. We'll see.
Thats all for the weekend update!
Tiffany
Friday night I got to go Ballroom DANCING!!!! My FAV!! Unfortunately they didn't have their normal Live Band Night, but it was still a blast! I was happily surprised to find that I wasn't nearly as rusty as I thought I would be! It's been about 8 mo since I was there last and I just LOVE that place. I dont know what it is.
I got there and started off with a slow Lindy Hop with my fav swing dance Partner- Jordan. I realized my shoes have about had it and I may soon be in the market for some more! Throughout the night I did a Rumba, a Fox Trot (silver level, I"m told), Salsa, Meringue, Waltz (my least favorite and I did it TWICE!), a 2 Step, and some more Swing to end the night with a bang. I definitely worked up a sweat and my calves were killing me at the end of the night! I can't wait to go back! SO MUCH FUN- it doesn't even feel like WORK! Awesome!! I was actually relieved that the night was over at 10 as opposed to 11 like I had thought it would be!!
Saturday morning the goal was to get up early and go for a little run/walk with my 3 yr old, L.A, and M. We didn't make it up by 8... we snoozed till 9 and then finally got out of bed! After getting Nate ready, he decided he didn't want to ride his trike... so we opted to just bring him and a ball and see what happened! We got in about 30 good minutes of moderate walking (about 1.5mi according to my phone) on the Village Trails and Nate got to see the ducks! All in all- it was a great start to the CRAZY day!!
The rest of the day was spent driving all over Dallas and moving furniture - and i kinda count that as exercise too! :) Margaret got a SWEET couch from Craigslist and it was a fun day out and about!
Sunday I got to play in the nursery at Church and then after lunch a group of us went down to Reverchon Park and layed by the (river?). Not much exercise happened, but it was nice to just try to enjoy the outdoors! While we were there I read the Women's Running magazine cover to cover. I learned that I need new workout clothes (and underclothes), new shoes (well kinda already knew that) and a Beginners plan to work up to being a RUNNER! :)
As far as this week goes, I believe I should be able to run/walk Wed for sure while Nate's in Awana, and then need to get in 2 or 3 more days. I may shoot for Tues and Sat... though I'd like to get something in today. We'll see.
Thats all for the weekend update!
Tiffany
Friday, March 6, 2009
Its been 2 days...
10:20am
And I'm still a bit sore when I move! That HAS to be a good sign, right?
The thing I'm most impressed/surprised about is that even my shoulders and obliques are a bit sore when I move a certain way. Who knew that running would cause everything to work in ways it hasn't worked in a while!?!
So I've scheduled w my girls to walk/run/whatever on Saturday morning. I didn't do any exercise on Thursday, (unless you count ROCK BAND and DDR exercise! hehe) but Plan to go Ballroom dancing tonight. I'm hoping to work up a sweat doing something I LOVE doing!
Back in 2006, I used to do ballroom/salsa on Fri nights and Swing dancing on Wed's. I LOVED it! I felt confident and I was pretty good at the dances! It incorporated my need to be social and meet new people with my love for music AND even included exercise! Just those 2 days a week and people were constantly asking if I was losing weight. I never got skinny on this plan, but I definitely felt better and must have looked a little better too- judging by the people's comments around me. I LOVE dancing. I quit doing it when I didn't have a regular babysitter for those nights anymore. Perhaps I'll work out a way to get to go more over the next weeks!
Figuring out how to incorporate exercise into the "Single Mom" life... with a 3 yr old in tow is my biggest challenge at the moment. I RARELY pull the 'single mom' card... but its hard to figure out what to do w an active/curious 3 yr old that constantly wants attention and still find time for a good workout. I basically gave up when I lost my childcare for Dancing and haven't tried again. But, its time to figure something out! I'll let ya know what I come up with!
I had a hard time sleeping last night- woke up constantly even though I was in bed by 11. I downloaded some new Aps on the iphone that I'm sure will help me track my intake, my calories, and my overall progress! :) I kinda wanted to strech when i kept wrestling around to get comfy, but never did. I just didnt' want to get out of bed. I'm hoping that after dancing tonight, I"ll sleep better!
I"m also really hoping that after walk/running tomorrow, I'll be energized and get lots done around my house! There is much that NEEDS doing!!
Thats it for now... thank GOODNESS it's friday!!!
And I'm still a bit sore when I move! That HAS to be a good sign, right?
The thing I'm most impressed/surprised about is that even my shoulders and obliques are a bit sore when I move a certain way. Who knew that running would cause everything to work in ways it hasn't worked in a while!?!
So I've scheduled w my girls to walk/run/whatever on Saturday morning. I didn't do any exercise on Thursday, (unless you count ROCK BAND and DDR exercise! hehe) but Plan to go Ballroom dancing tonight. I'm hoping to work up a sweat doing something I LOVE doing!
Back in 2006, I used to do ballroom/salsa on Fri nights and Swing dancing on Wed's. I LOVED it! I felt confident and I was pretty good at the dances! It incorporated my need to be social and meet new people with my love for music AND even included exercise! Just those 2 days a week and people were constantly asking if I was losing weight. I never got skinny on this plan, but I definitely felt better and must have looked a little better too- judging by the people's comments around me. I LOVE dancing. I quit doing it when I didn't have a regular babysitter for those nights anymore. Perhaps I'll work out a way to get to go more over the next weeks!
Figuring out how to incorporate exercise into the "Single Mom" life... with a 3 yr old in tow is my biggest challenge at the moment. I RARELY pull the 'single mom' card... but its hard to figure out what to do w an active/curious 3 yr old that constantly wants attention and still find time for a good workout. I basically gave up when I lost my childcare for Dancing and haven't tried again. But, its time to figure something out! I'll let ya know what I come up with!
I had a hard time sleeping last night- woke up constantly even though I was in bed by 11. I downloaded some new Aps on the iphone that I'm sure will help me track my intake, my calories, and my overall progress! :) I kinda wanted to strech when i kept wrestling around to get comfy, but never did. I just didnt' want to get out of bed. I'm hoping that after dancing tonight, I"ll sleep better!
I"m also really hoping that after walk/running tomorrow, I'll be energized and get lots done around my house! There is much that NEEDS doing!!
Thats it for now... thank GOODNESS it's friday!!!
Training?
http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-380-381-386-9397-0,00.html
This is titled: 8-Week Running Training Plan
THE RUNNER'S WORLD 8-WEEK BEGINNING RUNNER'S TRAINING PROGRAM
Follow this plan to become a runner. By Amby Burfoot
Check it out!
This is titled: 8-Week Running Training Plan
THE RUNNER'S WORLD 8-WEEK BEGINNING RUNNER'S TRAINING PROGRAM
Follow this plan to become a runner. By Amby Burfoot
Check it out!
Advice on Getting Started
So I emailed a friend from church who has a rather inspiring story (in my opinion). She IS a runner but wasn't always... She's now a size 0/2 but always saw herself as a 12... so I asked for tips. Here's what she had to say! Thanks V! Check out her blog for more from V. http://rantreturned.blogspot.com/
"First, I want to say: You have control over your weight. But no one can make the decision to lose weight for you. You have to decide for yourself that you’re going to do it. And once you do that, you can and will lose weight. So, you've already gotten over the first and worst hurdle!
Some things that help with exercise:
• Having a workout partner. More than likely, there will be days that you don’t feel like exercising, but hopefully, on those days, your partner will encourage you to go ahead and go…and vice versa. It’s a good motivator on those tiring days.
• Find an exercise you enjoy…or at least don’t hate. If you can work some variety in there (taking classes, workout tapes, walking, biking, swimming, inside, outside etc) that will also help stave of boredom and the lack of motivation.
• Start slowly, especially with running. A mistake lots of people make is to try to push too hard and too far too early, then get injured and/or burned out and quit. I recommend starting by combining walking and jogging. It’s good to challenge yourself and increase speed and distance, but slowly! You shouldn’t add both going faster and going further in the same week. Otherwise, you will get runner’s knee…painful, and it will make you have to stop running temporarily.
• You need a good pair of shoes. Be willing to pay $100. It’s worth it.
• Warming up and cooling down is also a good way to avoid injury.
• And give yourself rest days. Absolutely required. You want to enjoy exercise, so you will keep doing it…not hate it and quit. Now, during the actual workout, it might be hard, but the accomplishment you feel at the end is worth it. Plus, endorphins from exercise relieve stress! (I can really testify…a good workout can totally improve your mood).
• For a specific beginner’s running plan, see the Runner’s World website: http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-380-381--9397-2-1X5-3,00.html It’s a great website for runners.
Some things that help with losing weight/eating better:
• You do not need to exercise to lose weight, and exercising alone will not cause you to lose weight. The only way is to burn more calories than you take in. That’s it. Burn more calories than you take in. Exercise does help you burn more calories though…but you have to be careful not to “reward” yourself for working out with lots of calories.
• So, what Casey and I did was count calories. We used a software program called Fitday to log all our food and exercise, aiming to burn 500 extra calories a day. It’s cheap, easy to use and you can download it. But Weight watchers, etc. probably does the same thing. We bought a digital kitchen scale, weighted, measured and entered our food. That way, weight loss really just comes down to the math. I can say there were definitely days that I would work out a few more minutes so I could eat a little more. I faithfully counted everything I ate for more than a year. Once you do it for a while, it's really quick to do.
• You should not drastically reduce your calories…that just cause your metabolism to slow down and prevent weight loss! 500 calories a day is plenty.
• How to cut those 500 calories? The easiest way is Volumetrics. There’s a book…which I didn’t read…but basically: eat the same amount of food, so you don’t get hungry. But the food that you do eat should be higher in water, fiber and protein to help you feel full. Oatmeal, whole grains—lots of fiber. Soup, fruit, vegetables—lots of water. Lean meat and dairy (in reasonable portions)—are high protein and help stave off hunger. (Google for more info!)
• Absolutely still eat your favorite things…but less often and in smaller portions. Like the kid’s meal of fast food instead of the combo. You get enough to satisfy the craving…then get a salad with light dressing to fill up. I recommend reading Mindless Eating (I checked it out from the library). It’s a short, interesting book with lots of tips to stop overeating and how to easily cut calories. Good stuff. For example: eat off small plates, so when you fill up your little plate, you feel like you get a lot more. It works. Casey and I barely use our dinner plates.
Yeah...so, does that answer your question?
So basically, start slow, have a partner, cut calories slowly and keep going! You shouldn't lose more that 1-2lbs a week to be healthy...some weeks more will come off, some none at all. But keep trying...every step towards being healthier has benefits.
Anyway...good for you! You've already made the decision, which is the hardest part. Now the rest is details! Let me know how it goes. :-)
V"
"First, I want to say: You have control over your weight. But no one can make the decision to lose weight for you. You have to decide for yourself that you’re going to do it. And once you do that, you can and will lose weight. So, you've already gotten over the first and worst hurdle!
Some things that help with exercise:
• Having a workout partner. More than likely, there will be days that you don’t feel like exercising, but hopefully, on those days, your partner will encourage you to go ahead and go…and vice versa. It’s a good motivator on those tiring days.
• Find an exercise you enjoy…or at least don’t hate. If you can work some variety in there (taking classes, workout tapes, walking, biking, swimming, inside, outside etc) that will also help stave of boredom and the lack of motivation.
• Start slowly, especially with running. A mistake lots of people make is to try to push too hard and too far too early, then get injured and/or burned out and quit. I recommend starting by combining walking and jogging. It’s good to challenge yourself and increase speed and distance, but slowly! You shouldn’t add both going faster and going further in the same week. Otherwise, you will get runner’s knee…painful, and it will make you have to stop running temporarily.
• You need a good pair of shoes. Be willing to pay $100. It’s worth it.
• Warming up and cooling down is also a good way to avoid injury.
• And give yourself rest days. Absolutely required. You want to enjoy exercise, so you will keep doing it…not hate it and quit. Now, during the actual workout, it might be hard, but the accomplishment you feel at the end is worth it. Plus, endorphins from exercise relieve stress! (I can really testify…a good workout can totally improve your mood).
• For a specific beginner’s running plan, see the Runner’s World website: http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-380-381--9397-2-1X5-3,00.html It’s a great website for runners.
Some things that help with losing weight/eating better:
• You do not need to exercise to lose weight, and exercising alone will not cause you to lose weight. The only way is to burn more calories than you take in. That’s it. Burn more calories than you take in. Exercise does help you burn more calories though…but you have to be careful not to “reward” yourself for working out with lots of calories.
• So, what Casey and I did was count calories. We used a software program called Fitday to log all our food and exercise, aiming to burn 500 extra calories a day. It’s cheap, easy to use and you can download it. But Weight watchers, etc. probably does the same thing. We bought a digital kitchen scale, weighted, measured and entered our food. That way, weight loss really just comes down to the math. I can say there were definitely days that I would work out a few more minutes so I could eat a little more. I faithfully counted everything I ate for more than a year. Once you do it for a while, it's really quick to do.
• You should not drastically reduce your calories…that just cause your metabolism to slow down and prevent weight loss! 500 calories a day is plenty.
• How to cut those 500 calories? The easiest way is Volumetrics. There’s a book…which I didn’t read…but basically: eat the same amount of food, so you don’t get hungry. But the food that you do eat should be higher in water, fiber and protein to help you feel full. Oatmeal, whole grains—lots of fiber. Soup, fruit, vegetables—lots of water. Lean meat and dairy (in reasonable portions)—are high protein and help stave off hunger. (Google for more info!)
• Absolutely still eat your favorite things…but less often and in smaller portions. Like the kid’s meal of fast food instead of the combo. You get enough to satisfy the craving…then get a salad with light dressing to fill up. I recommend reading Mindless Eating (I checked it out from the library). It’s a short, interesting book with lots of tips to stop overeating and how to easily cut calories. Good stuff. For example: eat off small plates, so when you fill up your little plate, you feel like you get a lot more. It works. Casey and I barely use our dinner plates.
Yeah...so, does that answer your question?
So basically, start slow, have a partner, cut calories slowly and keep going! You shouldn't lose more that 1-2lbs a week to be healthy...some weeks more will come off, some none at all. But keep trying...every step towards being healthier has benefits.
Anyway...good for you! You've already made the decision, which is the hardest part. Now the rest is details! Let me know how it goes. :-)
V"
Thursday, March 5, 2009
The First Morning After
10:00am
So last night, I put Nate down and crashed by 10:30pm (this is EARLY EARLY for me if you dont know me!) This morning I didn't even hear my alarm clock until around 7:50am. It'd been going on for a while (its set for 6:45am). So needless to say, I was a bit late for work.
How do I feel? Well... the second I turned over and opened my eyes, I realized my back hurt a bit, my abs were a bit sore and my left hip flexor (I think thats what its called- the part on the front of your leg where your hip connects to your leg?) are quite sore. Upon further investigation- a lot of me is sore! BUT- thats good- right? No Pain No Gain!!
I actually feel a LITTLE more energetic this morning overall- despite the soreness. Not a lot- mind you... but a tiny bit! I even feel like I'm walking straighter, standing taller- WEIRD and prob all in my head... but... alas, thats how I feel!
Now I'm just trying to figure out when I'll be able to exercise again. I want to push myself. This will be a process and change can't possibly happen overnight, but I can do this!! (friends- dont let me give up on myself when it gets hard! PLEASE!!!! I want this! Remind me of that. I started it.) FYI as you might have noticed, this blog is going to be a bit of me trying to motivate myself to do the stuff that I've never wanted to do (work out consistently, etc)
Anyway, I'm going to change me. One Day at a TIME! :)
That reminds me of a song by Sanctus Real:
Change Me
Did I change your mind with
What I said last night?
Did I break your heart by
Straying so far?
From what you have in mind
For my life?
Would you change me from
Who I've been lately?
'Cause I know I'm nothing
Without you
Did my words betray the
Patience I once claimed
Can't you see it in my face?
I need your grace
Would you change me from
Who I've been lately?
'Cause I know I'm nothing
Without you
Would you save me from
The way I've been lately?
'Cause I can't see living
Without you
Would you change me from
Who I've been lately?
'Cause I know I'm nothing
without you
Would you break me from
The way I've been lately?
'Cause I can't see living
Without you
So last night, I put Nate down and crashed by 10:30pm (this is EARLY EARLY for me if you dont know me!) This morning I didn't even hear my alarm clock until around 7:50am. It'd been going on for a while (its set for 6:45am). So needless to say, I was a bit late for work.
How do I feel? Well... the second I turned over and opened my eyes, I realized my back hurt a bit, my abs were a bit sore and my left hip flexor (I think thats what its called- the part on the front of your leg where your hip connects to your leg?) are quite sore. Upon further investigation- a lot of me is sore! BUT- thats good- right? No Pain No Gain!!
I actually feel a LITTLE more energetic this morning overall- despite the soreness. Not a lot- mind you... but a tiny bit! I even feel like I'm walking straighter, standing taller- WEIRD and prob all in my head... but... alas, thats how I feel!
Now I'm just trying to figure out when I'll be able to exercise again. I want to push myself. This will be a process and change can't possibly happen overnight, but I can do this!! (friends- dont let me give up on myself when it gets hard! PLEASE!!!! I want this! Remind me of that. I started it.) FYI as you might have noticed, this blog is going to be a bit of me trying to motivate myself to do the stuff that I've never wanted to do (work out consistently, etc)
Anyway, I'm going to change me. One Day at a TIME! :)
That reminds me of a song by Sanctus Real:
Change Me
Did I change your mind with
What I said last night?
Did I break your heart by
Straying so far?
From what you have in mind
For my life?
Would you change me from
Who I've been lately?
'Cause I know I'm nothing
Without you
Did my words betray the
Patience I once claimed
Can't you see it in my face?
I need your grace
Would you change me from
Who I've been lately?
'Cause I know I'm nothing
Without you
Would you save me from
The way I've been lately?
'Cause I can't see living
Without you
Would you change me from
Who I've been lately?
'Cause I know I'm nothing
without you
Would you break me from
The way I've been lately?
'Cause I can't see living
Without you
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