Valentine's Day

There is so much mixed emotion about this holiday. D, for one, hates it. To his dismay, I love it. He thinks its just another way for people to make money. To that, I would agree. He thinks that you shouldn't have one day devoted to love. It should be a daily thing. Again... So true.

I just think there's something special about this holiday. I like that whether you love it or hate it.... you have to deal with it. You are forced to embrace this Americanized, money making holiday that oozes cheesy romance. I love the tiny hearts full of chocolate and thanks to my students I have at least 10 of them! I love that you have to go early for dinner or call and get reservations... thanks babe for taking care of that! I love that I have shared the last 10 Valentine's days with the same smelly boy. I love that even now when he wears Ralph Lauren Romance it makes me think that we're 16 again going out on a date. I love that to this day still one of my favorite things to do is watch him play basketball. I love that the smell of peppermints reminds me of him b/c he use to keep one in his mouth constantly. I love that he knows how much I love Valentine's candy, but knew not to buy me any this year. I love that even though he hates this holiday he still chooses to make it special for this Valentine loving girl!

Weight Watcher Update 5

I am thrilled to announce after this weeks weigh in I have officially dropped 11 lbs!

Starting weight: 163
Now: 152

This week's weight loss: 3.8 lbs


My original weight loss goal: 145.... which is now clearly in sight!

What have I been doing?

I've been doing a little of this....





a little of this....





a little of this....






a lot of this....




But thankfully now I have this



and am feeling like a new woman.

Weight Watcher Update 4

Good news or bad news first? We'll do the good news.... I've lost over 8 lbs. in 4 weeks! Bad news... this week I only lost a whopping .6 lb. I mean if I hadn't peed before then I may not have lost any. I knew that I wasn't as confident going in this time. There were a few more splurges here and there this past week... but boy were they good! But now at what cost? I was telling my friend, Jenny, at the meeting last night... the competitive side is in full force now! Knowing that I can lose more... knowing I want see more lbs. come off... I am M.O.T.I.V.A.T.E.D!

Last night was my last "official" meeting. I will do it on my own from now on. I was talking to D last night about it. I asked him,"So are you going to weigh me and write down my numbers, and give me a gold star if I do well?" He laughed and said, "YEP." Then I jokingly said, "What if I do bad?" He thought for a minute and then said, "I'll make you make me a cake and then I'll eat it in front of you."

I guess I better work really hard!

Ten Things Thursday

10. I have discovered a love for kickboxing workouts.

9. Ladies bible study began this week... Becoming God's True Woman.

A.W.E.S.O.M.E.

8. I feel like my weigh in tonight may not be as successful as prior weeks.

7. I would like 1 maybe 2 more snow days, but then bring on SPRING!

6. I'm really into different fingernail polishes right now... so tired of the same old stuff. I decided to branch out so much so that I'm getting grief from my sister over it. I however think they're adorable.

And thanks to Essie, I have a lot of options!

5. Not only am I into fun polish colors, but big earrings... like these whoppers I'm wearing today.

4. Jillian Michaels is becoming more of a friend than an enemy.






3. So looking forward to this...

2. One of my goals this year is to really read the bible. Not read it so I can say I read it. Not read it so I can cross it off my to-do's. Or even read it and get little bits here and there. My goal is to read it to be changed. I want to better understand relationships, trials, consequences, battles, etc.






1. My current favorite restaurant: Cracker Barrel. We have been going with mom and dad there the last couple of Thursday nights after my weigh in. I think its my guilty pleasure. Eggs. Biscuits and Gravy. Bacon. Yes, please!

Wordy Wednesday- Challenge

Monday in my weekend wrap up I talked about the message that D preached Sunday. It was so convicting, so challenging... but now what do we do with it? We live it. We can also tell other believers about it and challenge them with it as well. The gospel is something that shouldn't be kept to ourselves. We shouldn't be wrapped up in our own selfish bubbles that we forget that millions around us are dying with a curable disease... we have the cure. JESUS.

You can go here and listen to him preach the message. I will not do it justice. I will however tell you what God is teaching me through it.


Matthew 9:35-38
³⁵ Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. ³⁶ When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. ³⁷ Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. ³⁸ Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”

The harvest is not only THE mission, but OUR mission. It is past time to go to work. Its time to get off our butts, get out of our comfort zones, and do something.

The Method of the Harvest (vs. 35)
- we can't tell a hungry homeless man about Jesus without first feeding him... I mean we can but we won't be as effective. We must first meet the physical need to gain credibility to meet the spiritual need. This is not a cop out or an excuse, but reality.

The Motivation (vs. 36)
-We must put on Christ like compassion. If we lack compassion, we must fervently pray for it. I need to pray hard! We can not effectively reach people without it.
a.) We must see the size of the multitude- how many need to be reached!
b.) Feel their suffering - feel their hurts!
c.) Realize their separation- be conscience of the fact they have no hope!

The Means (vs. 37-38)
-This is the instrument or tool for gathering the harvest
-We must stay focused, work diligently, pray
-Make Jesus known

The Harvest is why he came and why we're still here! We (I!)need to get to work!

Try it Tuesday

Friday I posted about some of my current favorite foods and snacks. Well, Sunday I went to the grocery store and found these....

My new favorite snack. They are delicious! And for a mere 3 ... very filling might I add...pts... you can not go wrong. Plus you get a whopping 9 grams of fiber per serving!