5K

I ran a 5k race this past weekend…well actually I would call it more of a 5k run.  I don’t consider what I did to be “racing.”  I kept pace with a guy that had a bum knee, or maybe it was a bum hamstring.  Heck, it was probably both.  My moment of glory came when I passed said gimp with about 800 meters to go and pumped my chest out as I crossed the finish line Boston marathon style.  It felt good!  It was the first time that I’ve run an organized event since giving birth in February.  It was good for my soul.  Running is one of those things that has just grown on me over the last 16 years.  I don’t love it, but I simply like it enough to keep pounding the pavement.  I started running when I was 15 to get in shape for basketball season.  Realizing my volleyball career was going nowhere (shocking, I know), I decided to try cross country.  I really enjoyed it and actually got somewhat decent at it by training really hard and learning how to mentally fight through “the wall.” 

The best part of the day was after the race when my three year old told me that I was running too fast when they saw me at the half way point.  She was trying to catch me but my speed was just too intense for her.  “Yes, darling, I know mommy is fast.  I hope you one day experience what it feels like to single handedly dominate a 45 year old man who is at half strength.”  Sweet victory!

A Tribute to My Husband

Marcel and I survived the 7 year itch!  I guess having 3 kids in 5 years will put you in a constant state of survival. J  On one hand it’s hard to believe that we’ve been married for 8 years and on the other hand I can’t believe that it’s only been 8 years.  I feel like I’ve known him my entire life.  We met in college when we were paired up in the annual homecoming skit put on by the Greek system.  I remember one of the first encounters with Marcel. On that particular night he walked me home to my dorm room.  We talked the entire way home and he completely opened up to me about his life (which for those of you who know Marcel, it’s not like him to talk about himself much – he’s usually the one listening and making you feel at ease).  He spoke of his mom dying when he was young and told me about his three sisters.  I had never heard anyone my age (18 years at the time) speak of their mother and sisters with such fondness.  I remember thinking that night, “someone is going to be a very lucky woman to have Marcel as a husband.”  I just didn’t know it would be me! 

Fast forward about 13 years and here we are celebrating our eighth year of marriage.  Life is much different now – we’ve got three kids, jobs, a mortgage and other responsibilities.  I’m no longer infatuated with Marcel like I was in those early days.  Now, I’m in love with him.  Love is not necessarily that ooey gooey, weak in the knees feeling.  Love is a choice.  I choose each and every day to unconditionally love Marcel, even when I don’t “feel” like it.  I’m making this sound like it is a chore and in my case, it is not.  My message is to simply say that in a society where marriage means absolutely nothing, it means everything to me.  We’ve evolved and we are completely different people than the day we said “I do.”  But that is the beauty of a covenant relationship.  Even as we change and times get tough (and they do!), the foundation of the covenant (the Holy Spirit) shines even brighter.  Marcel is my best friend, my cheerleader, my sounding board, my husband.  I simply wouldn’t do life without him.  I think the most beautiful image in the bible is Christ as the bridegroom and the church as His bride.  The church is in submission to Christ, but Christ laid down His life for the church.  I am fortunate to have a husband who models that and lays down his life for me daily. 

And they lived happily ever after…

Let's Eat!

It seems that I have turned into a little foodie lately.  A friend sent this wonderful blog (http://healthnutfoodie.blogspot.com) over a month ago about healthy eating and living and it really got me thinking.  I’m not completely unhealthy with my diet, but I don’t spend a lot of time making sure the food that I am eating/serving is actually benefiting my body.  That is until I read this blog and others like it to learn how to shop and cook for my family that will benefit our health, help with our energy levels, keep unwanted pounds away and eat some darn good food! 

As I’ve been reading this information, it’s really been an education on how poor the American diet is and how extremely frustrating it is that the FDA allows certain “food” items to sit on our grocery store shelves for consumption.  It is very frustrating that I can’t go to the grocery store and have a plethora of affordable food available to me that is not loaded with chemicals, pesticides, artificial sweeteners, artificial fillers, etc. 

We’ve decided to take action and improve our diet.  We are not going for perfection.  I’m not going to be the crazy mom that never lets her child enjoy a cupcake or McDonald’s french fries.  But the truth of the matter is cooking in a healthy way does not mean that you must deny yourself pleasurable food.  Healthy, clean food is full of great flavor!  I feel better knowing that I am feeding my kids FOOD that actually fuels their growing bodies. 

Here are some changes that we’ve made that really seem to be paying off: 

o     Sourcing organic produce where it makes sense.  Trying to be budget conscience, I only buy organic produce that made the “dirty dozen” list.  These are fruits/vegetables that have tested with the highest amounts of pesticide/chemical residue.  (http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2011/06/14/environment-group-releases-dirty-dozen-produce-list)  

o     Eliminating high fructose corn syrup as much as possible (this means giving up my beloved, daily soda pop!)

o     Eliminating nitrates/nitrites (often found in hot dogs, bacon, etc.  You can find nitrate/nitrite free options, usually a bit more expensive).

o     Eliminating partially hydrogenated oils
o     Eliminating food with dyes (i.e. red 3 or yellow 6)o     Using heart healthy oils to cook with (i.e. olive oil, coconut oil)

o     Sourcing grass fed beef from a local farmer

o     Sourcing the internet for easy, affordable, healthy recipes to feed my family (we’ve made lots of yummy things over the past month…pumpkin lasagna, quinoa risotto, pumpkin pancakes, homemade applesauce…)

Again, we’re not going for perfection, we’re just trying to make better choices in our overall diet.  I’m not going to freak out if I have an occasional soda or my favorite dessert (double stuffed Oreos).  I am however not going to purchase these items on a regular basis.  My biggest threat to the food industry is where I spend my $ so I want to make sure that I’m spending the majority on actual, clean FOOD!  Like anything, it’s easy to become obsessive and put your security in the food you eat.  I just want to do the best I can for my growing family!   

Changes

I mentioned in a previous blog post that life is all about seasons.  I am excited to say that our little family is about to enter an exciting new season.  Through much prayer, my husband and I have decided that I will retire from the boardroom setting for awhile and stay home with my kids on a full time basis.  I am absolutely thrilled about this!  It has been very bittersweet as I’ve told my boss, my team and other co-workers.  I’ve choked up a few times as I’ve made my announcement.  I’ve spent the last 8.5 years of my life at this company and have made some wonderful friends!  However, I am anxious to be able to savor this time a bit more while my children are so young.  I know I will never regret this.

I have no idea how long this season will last.  I’m leaving the details to God.  He’s told us that He will work them out J  I would welcome your prayers as I make this transition to full time motherhood in just a few short weeks. 

On a side note, in case you are wondering if this now means that my house will be clean on a more regular basis, I can assure you it does not.  My working outside the home has very little to do with its cleanliness.  I am just a messy housekeeper and unfortunately that fact doesn’t bother me L

A List

I always enjoy reading these from others, so I thought I would post one.

Favorite Time of Day:  Morning

Highlight of Each Day:  Getting home from work and hearing, “Mommmmyyyyy!”

Favorite Color:  Purple

Coke or Pepsi:  Definitely Coke

Gold or Silver:  Silver

Siblings:  Bill, Maureen, Maggie and Corey

Pets:  I am not an animal person

Favorite Season:  Spring (it used to be fall, but spring is definitely my favorite)

Favorite Sport to Play:  Basketball

Favorite Sport to Watch:  Basketball

Breakfast, lunch or dinner:  Dinner

Favorite Meal:  Pizza or Nachos

Favorite School Subject:  Math

Favorite Movie:  Sleepless in Seattle

Favorite TV Show:  The Office

Favorite TV Show as a Kid:  Full House

Snacks or Meals:  Meals

Last Movie You Watched in the Theatre:  Something Borrowed

Worst Household Chore:  Doing the dishes

Favorite Day of the Week:  Sunday

Favorite Restaurant:  The Melting Pot

Favorite Fast Food:  Chick-Fil-A

Best Vacation:  Hawaii (we went there on our honeymoon)

Worst Vacation:  Stanton family trip to a lake in Northern MN (I think we left a few days early)

Most Beautiful Place You’ve Visited:  Southern France

Books or Movies:  Books

Coolest Thing You’ve Done in the Last 6 Months:  Gave birth to a baby girl

Coffee or Tea:  Tea (only a few kinds)

Favorite Month:  March

Items in your Pocket:  No pockets today, normally just lint

Brands You are Partial To:  Pampers for diapers, Huggies for wipes, Welch’s grape jelly, Oreos (no knock offs please), Vaseline Intensive Care lotion, Cascade dishwasher detergent 

Money, Money, Money…..MONEY!

Are you seeing Donald Trump in your mind right now like I am?  I used to love that show.  Ok, so the point of this blog post is not to talk about The Apprentice or Donald Trump’s net worth.  It is to talk about my view of the green stuff.  Like everything in my life, I hope that my view resembles God’s view and I don’t just sound like a class of 5^th graders learning to play the recorder. 

It seems that Marcel and I have been surrounded lately by the message of money.  Our church recently did a series on our economy and how our view and use of money is completely backwards as a nation (our economy is based on usury and debt…a man made system bound to fail).  The message of money has also been in a lot of my conversations lately, when I turn on the radio, when I pick up something to read, etc.  It seems to be everywhere.  More often than not, God is speaking in these reoccurring messages and wanting me to get something!  So now it’s taking the time to listen and figure out what that is.

I think the message that’s been spoken to me is not just a personal message, but a global one (thus my blog post).  It really is very simple and something we all know, but don’t often practice.  It is this, DO NOT WORRY.  Our security is in God and not money.  We must repent of the lack mentality and realize that God is the God of abundance.  There is not only one pie that we each need to fight for in order to get our share.  The pies are limitless and they come in all flavors!  Does this mean everyone will be rich and using dollar bills as napkins?  No!  Does it mean God will provide for our needs, just as he does the birds in the air?  Yes!  Money in itself is not evil.  It is just a tool used to provide for our families and bless others.  Evilness happens when we begin to love money. 

Loving money comes in all different disguises (the devil is tricky like that).  In our American culture, it is easy to think that loving money is something only the wealthy do as they are buying their third house, new Benz and vacationing in an exotic location.  The truth is, a person’s wealth has no correlation to loving money.  Loving money is a matter of the heart and where we place our security.  All walks of life can love money; poor, just making ends meet, middle class, wealthy, ultra wealthy…

In my experience, here is what loving money could look like:

o        Hoarding all of our money and not using it to bless others (stemming from the lack mentality…there is only enough to take care of my needs, I cannot think about the needs of others)

o        Not tithing on a regular basis (God asks us to tithe…He even challenges us and says to give 10% and see how much I will bless you!)

o        Spending an enormous amount of energy to get the best deal.  This is a fine line.  I am very frugal and want to steward my money wisely.  However, I don’t think God wants me obsessing about saving $5 on my grocery bill.  I know a lot of people that pour TONS of time into saving.  It’s almost as if their security is in the amount saved and not God’s provision.

o        Feeling entitled to the finer things in life.  Entitlement can signal a love of money.  God wants to bless us, but we are not entitled to go on nice vacations every year, have the latest gadgets, always wear the best clothes, etc.  We are ESPECIALLY not entitled to these things if it means going into debt to get them.  This leads to my next point…  

o        Having a large amount of consumer debt.  God says that the debtor is a slave to the lender.  God has called us to freedom, not bondage.  On the flip side of this, being debt free is not your security either.  God is always the source no matter how much debt you have.

I know there are many other symptoms that signal a heart that loves money, but these are just the few that God has been speaking to me over the last few weeks and years quite truthfully.  For us personally, we have worked really hard to pay down our student loan and automobile debt.  God has really blessed this area of our lives with faithful provision and the conviction to work REALLY hard for this freedom.  However, along the way I’ve been caught putting my security in the lack of debt and not in God.  I would find myself saying, “if we could just get rid of this student loan, then I would feel more secure.”  That, my friend, is putting my security in my net worth and ultimately loving money.  Fortunately God is so merciful and is assisting me on this journey to put ALL of my trust in Him.

Weddings

It seems that we have received a ton of wedding invitations over the last year.  I absolutely love weddings!  It is so exciting to see two people come together as one and the limitless possibilities for their life together.  I have wonderful memories of my own wedding, but I would change a few things if I was currently planning my wedding at the age 31 instead of 23.  I was never the type that had reoccurring visions of my perfect wedding as a little girl.  When Marcel and I went about planning our wedding, I really had nothing in mind of how I wanted the day to look.  I just kind of went with the flow and really wasn’t all that picky with my choices (a friend picked my bridesmaid dresses, my mom picked the flowers, etc).  Here is what I would keep the same and what I would do change.

Same:

o        Of course I would keep the same groom J

o        I would definitely still have lavender as my main color.  It is my absolute favorite. 

o        I would keep my dress the same.  I really loved my dress.

o        I would keep the same flowers.  I thought my flowers were really simple, yet so beautiful.

o        I would get fake nails again.  I bite/tear my nails and they are ugly (terrible habit…grandma Enid is probably in heaven asking God how she can get the $10 back that she gave me when I was 12 for temporarily ceasing the habit).

Change:

o        I would get married on the beach.  I think this would be so fun and beautiful!

o        I would definitely change my hair style into something more flowy and natural (to go with the beach theme).  I didn’t really like my hairdo on my actual wedding day.

o        I would get a new photographer and have candid photos of the day.  We had a horrible wedding photographer.  I usually cringe when I look at our wedding photos.  They are terrible.

o        I would write my own vows.

o        I would mention my parents on my wedding invite.  I picked out my wedding invites because we got a discount from the shop that sold me my dress.  I had no idea I was supposed to make mention of parents L  I still feel really bad about that.

Maybe a beach vacation to renew our wedding vows is in order one of these years!!!