Day Two: Oh MY!

Yep. Day two of working out at 6am has a new word for description purposes: OUCH!

As soon as I woke this morning I felt the burn of the my previous day... and we did NOT lax for a moment today. We pushed harder, and did more than the day before, and now my body is moving like I'm in my 80's. Ouch.

Throughout the workout this morning I kept repeating in my head, like Thomas the Train... "I think I can, I think I can, I think I can..." One more rep, one more sprint, almost done, come on Heather push! My body gushed for air and demanded a break, but I kept moving, even if it turned into a snails pace.

We stretched, we did 3 sets of five latter exercises that meant we went 30 lengths of the basketball court in between the two ladders, 5 sprints up and down the length of the court, we did 6 envelopes that consisted of 12 sprints along the way, and that was just our cardio. Whoo.

Back into the weight room we completed our morning routine with 3 sets of 12 reps on the mostly the arms. The burn was being felt throughout it all, and again we concluded with our ab workout. Talk about struggling!

But I must say I feel accomplished each morning. I'm getting up early and I'm doing something. I'm just looking forward to the day when things get a bit easier and I'm having to push harder to get the extreme workout rather than every single step being a struggle to push through. This week is truly boot camp, whipping me good, but I'm soaking up the luxury and enjoying the "team work" between the hubby and me. One day at a time... we can do this!

Anointed, Transformed, Redeemed: Loving Priscilla Shirer!

Tonight I began my Bible study with the Women's Ministry at my church, Central Church. I'm pumped about it. There are three girls from our awesome Sunday School class participating in the Monday night study too. I'm pumped to see what we learn through the next 7 weeks.

Tonight was just the beginning... among the many things we did, we watched the first video session to the series: Anointed, Transformed, Redeemed: A Study of David. This study is led by Priscilla Shirer, Beth Moore, and Kay Arthur.

Priscilla led off this evening and PREACHED THE WORD! Whoo! She fired me up! Among her many points that nailed home... she had a quote of the night that talked about who God is, and how He is the provider of ALL. If you've never seen Priscilla speak, imagine a beautiful African American women speaking boldly and passionately as she preaches each line to her fellow sisters in Christ about WHO GOD IS. If you have heard her, imagine the women you've seen and heard.

I searched and searched throughout Google to find a quote of Priscilla's quote from tonight's video. She even had a moment when she said "and Oprah cannot explain Him away!". I cannot find it, but want to share it with EVERYONE. It was a pure moment of "PREACH IT SISTER!" If anyone knows where it is, or can slow down their own tape long enough to dictate it down... PLEASE send it to me!!! I really want to share it!

[NOTE] - the quote has been found and is posted on my blog post: 

 http://itsnotmydiary.blogspot.com/2009/01/piscilla-shirer-preachin-it.html

In the mean time, here is another good quote I found from one of Priscilla's DEEPER STILL conferences. Below:

Priscilla says "pass it on!" Let's all remember all that God is...He truly is the great I AM and all we will ever need! Let's keep going DEEPER STILL!

In Genesis, He's the breath of life
In Exodus, He is the Passover Lamb
In Leviticus, He's our high priest
In Numbers, the fire by night
Deuteronomy, He's Israel's Guide
Joshua, He's salvation's choice
Judges, He's Israel's Guard
In Ruth, the kinsmen's redeemer
1st and 2nd Samuel, our trusted prophet
In Kings and Chronicles He is Sovereign
In Ezra, He's the true and faithful scribe
In Nehemiah, the re-builder of broken walls and lives
In Esther, He's Mordecai's courage
In Job, the timeless redeemer
In Psalms He is our morning song
In Proverbs, He is our wisdom
Ecclesiastes, He's the time and season
In Song of Solomon, He is the lover's dream
In Isaiah He is Prince of Peace
In Jeremiah, the weeping prophet
Lamentations, the cry for Israel
Ezekiel, the call from sin
Daniel, the stranger in the fire
Hosea, the forever faithful
Joel, the spirit's power
Amos, the strong-arms that carry
Obadiah, the Lord our Savior
Jonah, the great missionary
Micah, the promise of peace
Nahum, our strength and shield
In Habakkuk and Zephaniah, He's brings revival
In Haggai He restores that which was lost
IN Zachariah, He's our fountain
And in Malachi, He's the son of righteousness rising with healing in His wings
AND THAT'S JUST THE OLD TESTAMENT

In Matthew Mark Luke and John, He is God and Messiah
In the spirit filled book of Acts, He is the reigning fire from Heaven
In Romans, He is the grace of God
Corinthians, the power of love
Galatians, freedom from the curse of sin
Ephesians, our glorious treasure
Philippians, the servant's heart
Colossians, He's God and the trinity
Thessalonians, our calling King
In Timothy, Titus and Philemon, He's our mediator and our faithful pastor
In Hebrews, the everlasting courage
In James, the one who heals the sick
In 1st and 2nd Peter, our faithful shepherd
In John and Jude, He's the lover coming for His bride

AND in the Revelation, in the very end, when it's all over, said and done, when time is NO MORE. He is and will always be the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, Prince of Peace, son of Man, Lamb of God, The Great I am, Alpha and Omega, God and Savior He is Jesus Christ the Lord HE IS EVERYTHING THAT YOU NEED!

Survival: Day 1

Survival is the keyword about today. I survived our first day of 6am workouts.

I choose the word survival because it means the state of surviving, or staying alive. Yes. I can attest to the fact that I am alive, ha! me writing this post is evidence to that, but I cannot claim more than being alive at the moment.

The alarm rang early this morning, VERY EARLY at 5:30am! I did not sleep soundly last night because I knew what was to come this morning. And even more than the dread and nervousness of what was to come at 6am, I had more anxiety about sleeping through my alarm and missing the event we had committed ourselves to. So there I was at 5:30am, opening my eyes to see the annoying bright light coming off my cell phone and hearing the obnoxious and loud tune that rang from its speaker. It was time to get up.

We pushed snooze once, just because I could, and laid there awake, but nestled inside the warm covers trying to find the strength to bust out into the cool air and "get this party started". The day had begun.

I'm so thankful my hubby is doing the same 6am workouts, because the motivation to get out of bed, while he laid sound of sleep would not have come... it was great to have both of us moving at 530am. The dogs were even stretching out, yawning, and confused - "Why are you guys awake?! The sun is not even hinting about coming out!"

But we made it... out the door by 10 till, and by 6am we were in the "gym" ready for impending doom!

So, as mentioned before I survived day one, but I barely survived. We did 25 minutes worth of cardio on the treadmill. That about killed me. We did an interval run, with incline, without incline, slower pace, faster pace... by the second half of the course I was pushing the speed button down, rather than staying on track with the settings. In all, I traveled 1.94 miles and felt every bit of it. I have a long way to go. Post cardio, we went to the free weights. 7 exercises, 2 sets of 10 reps. Where did my muscles go? I felt every bit of that too! And finally to wrap us up a bit after 7am, we finished with a 5 minute ab workout. 5 minutes, you say? Doesn't sound bad, huh? Uhhh.... ouch... 5 minutes straight, changing the type of ab workout every 25 seconds. I could feel the burn with a quickness.

But I survived, right? One day down, many more to go. I'm glad we've begun, sometimes that can be the hardest part. We can do this. Hubby & I together!

The guy above looks like me this morning and probably many mornings to come... maybe one day I'll look like this lady to the left - calm, excited, and fit with her weight in hand. Only time, perseverance, and lots of sweat will tell.

Home Project Underway

Within my list of New Year Resolutions, I put a blurb about our house. The resolution read: To work on the house and make some of the dramatic changes we've talked about.

One reason this is such an important statement is that we live in an old house. A wonderful house, a house with LOTS of character, but an old house. Old houses, by definition, mean they need a lot of TLC. Rooms are square and lack openness, kitchens are smaller, windows have been painted over and over to the point that they do not open, etc.


We have created a huge "Honey Do" list with all of the changes we would like to make within our home. I say we, but it's mostly me, but my hubby is awesome enough to accept those desires and help me reach those desired goals. It's easy to become overwhelmed with the many things "to do", but we're learning and doing our best to take things ONE DAY AT A TIME. We will do projects as money, resources, and time allows.

Today, I am excited to say that one of our desired changes is being completed... the project started yesterday and I believe I should be able to post pictures later today, if they complete it as planned. We have two living rooms... the back living room had an old, ugly, brown AC unit protruding out of the wall. The quick fix for my husband, before we ever met, was to cover the AC unit with a curtain... and that is how it has sat ever since. Yesterday, however, a better solution began. With the help of a dear family friend and my dad, the AC unit has been removed and a window is being put into its place. Today, the men are framing the window.

I am so excited about the major change this project will bring to our back room. We have already removed all the furniture from the room, selling much of it to Kelly's brother and sister-in-law. Now, having this project completed will allow me to buy the primer paint (needed to cover dark blue walls) and begin to repaint the room! Our next desire is to change the nasty laminate black and white checkered flooring - oh the difference that will make! I'm pumped.

UPDATE (3:36pm): The main job is complete! However, there is still the nice trim to be created in the interior to complete the job in full. Dad and Kelly will work on that at a later date, but the exterior trim is complete and the window is fully in place with the necessary installation around it. Here are pictures of the BEFORE and the current AFTER. Thanks Bill, Dad, and Kelly!

Before (above).

Current After (above).

P.S. I have seriously slacked with my desired kitchen cabinet remodel! I have completed three full cabinet doors. If I'm going to continue with this project (I will not be defeated), I will probably have to start on the main body of the cabinets and get those done in a fully dedicated weekend. This whole, door by door thing is going too slow! Time to get out the day planner and pick a weekend!

My Hubby's New Baby

The hubby got another baby yesterday...

I walked into the house after work to find a couple large boxes in the living room. Once I took a look at the packaging, I quickly realized what the delivery from Vann's entailed. That's right, my hubby saved again for another big purchase. Praise God for the "piggy bank" approach to purchases.

Baby #1 is his 50 inch Samsung Plasma TV. Baby #2 was delivered yesterday, a 5.1 Bose Surround Sound - speakers and wires.

It was like watching a kid in a candy store... Kelly was so excited to unwrap his new love and get everything plugged up and ready to go.

In fact, we did not eat dinner until practically 9pm because my hubby wanted to let the taco soup simmer until his connections were done and we could listen to the sound during dinner.

Too funny... well, too funny until his wife started to get crabby because she hadn't eaten yet. However, once we put some food down the hatch, I was in a much better mood, and we both enjoyed the amazing Bose sound as we watched one of my Christmas presents from my man, 27 Dresses.

Safely Back Into It's Place

I am NOT a jewelery kind of girl.

Ask anyone that knew me prior to getting engaged, I was NOT a jewelery kind of girl. I didn't wear much of it, I didn't EVER wear rings. You might see the occasional necklace on me, or even the less occasional bracelet, but jewelery just wasn't my thing. I had a favorite diamond cross necklace my parents gave me for graduation and have worn that around often ever since, but my collection is limited.

However, once my hubby slipped that unexpected extravagant rock on my finger the day he proposed, something within me changed. I'm not quite sure what it was... the engagement ring was so exciting in the beginning, but felt a bit odd on my finger, and then five or ten days into the engagement, BOOM... the ring became an extension of my finger. It WAS my finger, without it something was wrong! I even made a fuss (I couldn't believe it) about having to take it off for a 24 hour period in order to get the wedding band fitted to wear with it. What was that about?

And now, with over two years of engagement ring experience, and almost two years of wedding band and engagement ring experience, the problem has become worse... I cannot be without my ring! Sure, you have the occasional take the ring off for a kickball game, but that is for a couple hour period and then I'm back home to put that part of my "finger" on again.

My love for my wedding rings and need to have it on me at all times was recently put the test.

On Tuesday, December 30th, my hubby graciously offered to take my rings into our jewelry place to have them cleaned. He thought it would be nice to have them bright and pretty before ringing in the new year, and I gladly accepted his offer. While at the store, my hubby decided to go ahead and get my rings re-plated with white gold (this is something you have to do from time to time to keep the true gold color from showing too much). When I came home Tuesday night, expecting to get my rings back, Kelly informed me of the "change of plans". A little begrudgingly, I thanked my hubby for the sweet thought and looked forward to getting my ring back Wednesday evening right before our New Year's Eve outing.

Wednesday, as seen on a recent post, I became sick and went home early from work and paid my doctor a visit. After my doctor's visit, I climbed into bed and took a four hour nap - which totally helped me, by the way. I was awaken by my hubby, telling me I probably should get up and moving, especially if I was going to go to dinner as planned and have folks over afterwards to ring in the new year. Once I came to, my hubby went on to ask if I loved him, and would love him no matter what?

Then the news happened: Our jeweler had closed early that day, and Kelly did not make it to the store in time to pick up my rings.... I would be without them until Monday evening, January 5th!

Needless to say, it has been a rough week waiting on my rings. I even wore my college class ring on my ring finger throughout that period in order to feel less without. I'm a dork and have problems, yes...

But today, I can proudly say... my rings are safely back into their rightful place, on my finger! Thanks honey, they really do look beautiful. I guess it was worth the wait?!

To the right is a crappy picture of my rings, I took it with my phone today... but it doesn't show them well at all. I guess it's better than nothing. Maybe.

2009

With each new year comes the discussion of New Year Resolutions. A year has past us and it allows us to reflect over the year that was and compare where we came from, where we are today, and where we would like to be. The funny thing about such reflections is that to truly reflect over one's year, there is a need to be still. I have found little time of being still and being silent in my life as of late. When there is availability for stillness, I find myself filling that time and space with the TV or reading or taking a nap...

I believe our McGugan Mailer helped the hubby and I to plot out the things that were for 2008... but I do not believe I've really fully reflected on what all of 2008 meant. I can attest to this without much thought - THE LORD PROVIDED! However, I haven't just sat and reflected over 2008, and asked the Lord to reveal to me what I'm to learn from the past 365 days. We go through things, experiences, events, and should be able to walk away from each with a new take on the way things ought to be. The hope is to learn from the lessons the Lord reveals to us, and walk closer to that of Jesus the longer we go... but it's hard! It's hard to always move forward, and sometimes unfortunately we move backwards instead.

New Year Resolutions come out of such reflections: What should I change? How can I be better? What is my goal for this new year?

My hubby asked me this afternoon, "so what are your new year's resolutions?" and this is what I came up with on the fly:

• To be more disciplined.
  
• This entails both physically (working out and/or eating better) and spiritually (spending more personal time with the Lord). I've learned that when my body is disciplined physically, I am more prone to be spiritually disciplined in my quiet times. I want both of these things in my life to improve and become more constant.

• To be still more often.

• To read more.
• Kelly laughed at this one - he believes I read plenty... but he didn't see how often I read before we were married. I love it... I want to soak up more words on the pages of books this year.

• To work on the house and make some of the dramatic changes we've talked about.

• To practice the discipline of frugality more and save more.

• To speak my husband's love language more often.
• Kelly actually said this one about his own resolutions, and I am taking heed to his great desires... I want to do the same!

• And most of all... LESS OF ME, and MORE OF CHRIST.

It's a new year... a new beginning. In the same way that 2 Corinthians talks about us being a new creation in Christ... the rolling in of 2009 allows for the beginning of new directions. We have the chance to do better this go around with the strength of the Lord beside us.

What is your new year's resolution? Want to make any changes?

2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. (NKJV)