Journey with Jesus Day 9

My post is a bit late, but we didn't get in until 1:30ish last night (this morning).  I did get my Jesus Calling and prayer page done, but it was kinda a quickie. :( ... My mom and I had a great afternoon driving all over Indy to find good foods to eat.  We stopped at Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, and Meijer, filling the SECOND fridge my parents own.  Haha!  We're gonna keep working to eat healthy and try some new recipes.  And then Darrell and I were out late eating ice cream with Jared and Mags.  Haha!  So much for our trip to the healthy stores today.  No, it's all good.  It was one of our two desserts this week.  Good times, huh? :)

Breakfast - blueberry Greek yogurt with granola and mixed berries
Lunch - chicken, brown rice, mixed veggies, apple, cheese stick, and trail mix
Snack - blue corn chips and salsa and a cheese stick
Dinner - burger, corn, and green beans ... and my second sweet tea of the week
Dessert - cookies and ice cream
64 ounces of water :)

Hopefully, I'll get a workout in today 'cause I haven't worked out since Tuesday!

Have a good day, everyone!  I'll be posting again tonight!

Journey with Jesus Day 8

Today was so much better at work!  I am so grateful for the Lord's working in my life!  The Holy Spirit gave me so much help and perspective today!  I was able to get so much work done at The Porch!  Wahoo!  I will keep practicing.

Breakfast - bacon, egg, and cheese breakfast sandwich on a whole wheat English muffin
Lunch - BLT on wheat bread, pickle, and baked chips ... and sweet tea
Snack - cheese stick and trail mix
Dinner - chicken, broccoli, and mixed veggies ... and fruit
Snack - chips and guacamole
64 ounces of water :)

Busy days ... short posts.  I guess that's just how it goes!  But at least I'm posting consistently!  Sleep long, and sleep well, y'all!

Journey with Jesus Day 7

I've been really struggling with my summer job at The Porch.  Yeah, you heard me right.  It's only day three, and I am flipping losing my mind!  My mom needs A LOT of work done to her store before she opens later this summer .... and that work mostly includes me taking every single item in her store, dusting it off, and boxing it up .... and then loading it on a trailer.  It's just such a tedious, never-ending job ... and honestly, not at all what I wanna be doing with my time.  It's a blessing to get paid, but I'm just really struggling to stay thankful and have the right attitude ... and I'm just losing my mind!  All of that said, tonight's Jesus Calling was based on Romans 8:6 - "For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace."  Holla!  Exactly what I need to hear!  I just have to keep practicing the right attitude and keep staying focused on my day at a time, one hour at a time, one task at a time.  Remember your blessings, Mical ... you get to work for your mom.  You only work 6 hours a day.  You are getting paid!  Your hours are flexible.  This job is only temporary - 2 months.  Just be thankful, girl! .... And so I will keep trying!

Breakfast - Greek vanilla yogurt, granola, and mixed berries
Lunch - chicken, brown rice, cucumbers, apple, and trail mix
Snack - cheese stick and granola bar
Dinner - beef sandwich, cheez-it mix
Dessert - ice cream and toffee bars
64 ounces of water

Good night!

Journey with Jesus Day 6

Short post tonight 'cause it's late, and I'm exhausted!

Breakfast - sausage, egg, and cheese breakfast sandwich on a whole wheat English muffin with half a glass of orange juice
Lunch - chicken, brown rice, cucumber slices, and garden-fresh strawberries
Snack - cashews and a Nature Valley granola bar
Dinner - McAlister's ... yeah, you guessed it.  I cheated and had my fourth sweet tea of the week.  Man, it was good!  I also cheated and had chips and queso.  And a BLT on wheat bread.
I drank 64 ounces of water and got my cardio in too ... an hour of unloading heavy shelves and boxes from my mom's big trailer and then 20 minutes on the elliptical later in the day.  Go, me!

Overall, a pretty successful day!  I also had a fabulous evening with my mother-in-law.  We had some wonderful discussion and Jesus time ... talked about faithfulness and past wounds and healing ... and it was just a real sweet time.  So my friends essential was definitely at work tonight!  So thankful for God-given support!  Peace out, all! :)

Journey with Jesus Day 5

Yay!  Such a good day!!!  My best day on the Daniel Plan yet! :)

Breakfast - blueberry Greek yogurt, granola, and mixed berries and breakfast sausage
Lunch - homemade chicken and noodles and mixed veggies
Snack - cheese and flax seed crackers and trail mix
Dinner - chicken, cauliflower, and corn with my last sweet tea of the week
And I drank my 64 ounces of water too! :)

After "blowing" it yesterday, it sure feels nice to do well.  I have had a headache all afternoon and evening though ... not sure why.  But it was a good day of eating and starting my new schedule.  I didn't "work out" today ... but really, I did!  I did yard work at The Porch for 5 hours today!  Whhhoooaa!  I am pooped!  Darrell did lots of movement today too, so we're both wiped and heading for bed as soon as I finish this blog post.  But before I end, I wanted to share a quick thought from my Daniel Plan journal.  The journal gives Scripture and devotional blurbs for each day, and today's blurb was about the friends essential.  It talked about finding friends to walk the Daniel Plan journey with you ... friends who are safe and who accept you unconditionally.  Thankfully, I have a good group of friends and family who love me and support me so well, but when I think of someone who accepts me unconditionally, as well as cheers me on with my Daniel Plan all the time, I think of my mother-in-law, Jan.  She is such an incredibly godly woman, and she is the perfect example of strength and support with just the right amount of encouragement (lots!) and NO condemnation.  I am so thankful for her, and I love how our friendship blossoms more and more over time.  If you are doing the Daniel Plan, or any other healthy eating/life plan, you need a buddy!  A good one ... like my mom-in-law!

Sleep well, everyone!  And wake up excited that God's mercies are new tomorrow morning ... and everyday for that matter!  GREAT is His FAITHFULNESS! :)

Journey with Jesus Day 4

"My God will supply every need of your according to His riches in glory ..."
"With confidence, draw near to the throne of grace, that you may receive mercy and find grace to help you in your time of need."
Philippians 4:19 and Hebrews 4:16 ... sounds good to me!
God gives us EVERYTHING we need, and because of Jesus' shed blood, we can draw near to God ... be in His presence ... always and in confidence that He will hear us and answer us.  And ya know?  I think God knows that I NEED to get healthy.  I NEED to be physically and emotionally and relationally and perspectively (yep, I just made that a word!), and, especially, spiritually healthy in order to honor God with my life.  And so, right here, in my Jesus Calling devos today ... God promises to take care of my NEEDS ... I just need to press into Him to receive that grace and mercy to continue with my Daniel Plan for these 40 days and for every day for the rest of my life. ... Yep.  That sounds good to me! :)

Today wasn't too good in the food department.  Sundays are rough.  I kind of think of them as my "day off from life."  Haha!  Sundays are my favorite day of the week.  I love going to church, and I love spending time with my SoZo-ers.  I love naps, and I love going out to eat with my family.  All of these are consistent Sunday doings.  Our food schedule is usually thrown off on Sundays 'cause we always go out to eat (and not usually to healthy places ... it's our day off from life after all ;)), and we don't eat dinner until after SoZo, which is late.  So ... I know most of these are excuses.  But I'm just letting you know what we go through on Sundays.  So hopefully over time, we will make better and better choices for our Sundays.

So here's what I ate ... just know it's gonna be bad ahead of time. ;)
Breakfast - Mojo granola bar, cheese stick, and mixed berries ... not too bad :)
Lunch - Mexican - yum!
Dinner - pizza, chips, veggies with dip, and soda
Dessert - bowl of ice cream
Snack - popcorn and pickles
64 ounces of water ... that's good, right? ;)

Tomorrow begins my summer job at The Porch!  And it's a great day to try again with my eating, fitness, focus, relationships, and walk with the Lord.  What are YOU starting again tomorrow??? :)

Journey with Jesus Day 3

So I didn't do as well today, but overall, the day was still a good one!  I realized today that my body is getting used to healthier foods.  It's hard for me to believe that 'cause I was so opposed to eating healthy in the beginning.  But today, I slept in until noon (and it was marvelous!), so when I finally got my lazy butt out of bed, I didn't want to spend a ton of time cooking anything.  So I made myself a grilled cheese and popcorn and some sweet tea.  This used to be one of my all-time favorite meals.  But today?  I didn't finish any of it.  It wasn't as yummy as I remember it.  And I didn't feel as good or as satisfied after eating it.  I kinda "blew it" by taking the easy way out, but I also gained from it because I realized those easy carbs are not as yummy as I used to think.  I was way more satisfied after dinner when I had chicken and rice noodles and broccoli and green beans.  Whole foods really are better than junk foods, and I'm excited that my body is finally learning that ... which makes me happy, happy, happy!  It's still a process for sure ... heck!  We went to Frost Bite for ice cream after dinner!  But I'm excited to see the progress my body is making.  Slow and steady wins the race, Jack! ;)  (Hey!  Can you tell I've been watching Duck Dynasty lately?)

Breakfast - ha!  I skipped that again 'cause I didn't get outta bed till lunch time!  Gotta love Saturdays! :)
Lunch - 3/4 of a grilled cheese sandwich, bowl of popcorn, and sweet tea
Snack - fresh strawberries (straight from the garden - yum!), cheese stick, flax seed crackers, and broccoli
Dinner - homemade chicken and rice noodles (delicious, if I do say so myself!), broccoli, and green beans
Dessert - small Frost (blizzard)
64 ounces of water :)

Darrell and I also went for a walk in the park for almost an hour!  Yay!  It was wonderful to walk with my man. :)

Life is sweet ... and so is getting healthy!  Good night, friends! :)

Journey with Jesus Day 2

Today was another success ... still a few setbacks but still successful!  I did have too much sugar again today.  My snacks were sugary.  It "sounds" healthy to have a yogurt parfait or a granola bar or trail mix ... at least it sounds healthy to me.  But really, all of those things have tons of sugar in them!  It stinks.  Every time I think I'm making a healthier choice, I find out it's really unhealthy for me.  Lame.  I hope it's at least healthier than the big bag of potato chips or the dozen cookies I really wanna eat.  Haha! ... I try not to get too discouraged though.  I AM making better choices overall, and lasting change is a PROCESS!  I am not a cold turkey kind of person .... I have to be eased into things.  So I'll cut the sugar out a little at a time.  I definitely count today as a good day! :)

Breakfast - uhh, I kinda slept through that.  Haha!  I had the day off work. :)
Lunch - 3/4 of a bean burrito and mixed veggies
Snack - 2/3 cup of berry yogurt with granola and mixed berries
Dinner - PB&J, broccoli, cheese stick, and dill pickles
Snack - cheese stick, apple, granola bar, and trail mix (I had an early dinner ...)
And I drank 64+ ounces of water again! :)

I also worked out a lot today ... 30 minutes of swimming at L.A. Fitness and a 40-minute walk in the park.  Yay! :)

My Jesus Calling was all about thankfulness today.  "Punctuating" my day with thankfulness.  Sounds like a plan, huh?  What are YOU thankful for today? ... I am thankful for my loving and supportive family.  And I am thankful that they are all safe.  I was thinking tonight about how thankful I am that Darrell and I are living with my parents because life is so short, and I get to see my parents everyday now.  What a blessing!

Onward! :)

Journey with Jesus Day 1

Well, today was a success!  I feel good about almost all of my choices.  I learned that too much sugar gives me headaches.  God is already teaching me so much about His grace and faithfulness.  And I'm excited to keep going!  Here's my day in a nutshell ...

Breakfast - apple, cheese stick, and Mojo granola bar
Lunch - brown rice, great northern beans, and broccoli-cheese soup
Snack - cheese and flax seed crackers
Dinner - turkey burger, fries, and broccoli with my first sweet tea of the week
And 64+ ounces of water!  Go, me! :)

I felt good about all of these choices except ... I drank two big glasses of sweet tea, and I got a headache (I'm confident it was from the sugar).  And although I skipped the bun for both burgers, I had a second turkey burger and a second helping of broccoli, and, thus, I overate.  I made excuses that a turkey burger is a lean meat, and I told myself that broccoli is good for me.  Although true ... I still should not have overeaten.  BUT!  Even with these minor setbacks, I consider today very successful!

I also worked out on the elliptical for 30 minutes and walked on the treadmill for 15 minutes and stretched for 5 minutes.

And here are a few things from my Jesus Calling devotional tonight that I thought were fitting for my first day back on the Daniel Plan ...
From the Jesus Calling blurb ... "Instead of bemoaning the loss of your comfort, accept the challenge of something new." .... Perfect!  I'm "comfortable" with eating carbs upon carbs and sugar upon sugar and eating anything I want whenever I want, never thinking about the consequences.  Four months ago when I started the Daniel Plan for the first time, I definitely "beMOANed" the loss of these comforts, but now, I am accepting the (well-worth-it) CHALLENGE of something new ... a new way of life that will change me for the better and for the forever! :)  Love it!
And!  Also from the Scripture that went along with my Jesus Calling blurb ... 2 Corinthians 3:18 (ESV) - "And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another." ... The context of this verse is about being transformed by the glory of the Lord, but I think it's okay to say that God will be GLORIFIED when I am TRANSFORMED into His IMAGE the way He truly made me to be ... honoring my temple ... ALL of my temple - body, mind, spirit, and soul!  Pretty cool, huh? :)

I'm looking forward to continuing on tomorrow!  Good night, y'all! :)

A Journey with Jesus

I'm going on a journey!  I've sorta been on it over the past few months ... but only half-heartedly.  On February 3rd, my husband, Darrell, and I started something called The Daniel Plan.  If you haven't heard about it, it's a lifestyle change plan (not a diet!) that incorporates faith, food, fitness, friends, and focus.  It is a plan to change the way you take care of your body, your mind, your relationships, and your soul.  You work on each of these areas A LITTLE AT A TIME to produce LASTING change that you can carry with you the rest of your life.  Those are the things I like about this plan the most ... you go at your own pace to make changes (for me a [very] little at a time!), and you hit every area of your life, not just food, so that your purpose is more intentional and motivational. ... Well, I was super resistant when we started back in February.  I was in denial.  I was lazy.  And although I've had a little success ... I've lost five pounds; I feel better; I'm exercising regularly; and I've cut out A LOT of junk food, and I eat more veggies ... okay, so I guess I've had more than a little success. ;)  Haha!  BUT!  I will say that I can do more.  I can feel the power within me to make REAL, LASTING changes that I can be EXCITED ABOUT.  And finally ... I WANT TO, and I see that I really need to. ... Hallelujah! :)

I'm going on a journey with Jesus!  A journey to deeper faith, better food choices, more physical activity, more intentional relationships, and a thankful heart and an eternal perspective.  The Daniel Plan is all about setting goals, so I'm gonna set a goal or two for each "F" essential I mentioned earlier.  And I'm writing them here so that I will remember them, be able to refer back to them regularly, and commit them to completion.

My goals for 40 days (and beyond!) ...

FAITH - Whether I do other Bible studies and other reading or not, I will read one page in my Jesus Calling book and look up the Scriptures, and I will journal a one-page prayer each day.

FOOD - I will follow the Daniel Plan plate more closely than I have over the past four months, and I will limit my sugar intake by only allowing myself two desserts and three sweet teas a week.

FITNESS - I will do a cardio workout at least four times each week.

FRIENDS - I will share my health progress with my "health buddies" and encourage them with their progress at least once a week.  I will pray for my friends at least once a week.

FOCUS - I will practice thankfulness each day.  I will write in my Daniel Plan journal and write a blog post about my success each day.

Ready or ... yeah, I'm ready!  Here I go! :)

Currently (May 2014) ... stolen from Hannah :)

Currently, I am ...

FEELING ... restless.  Discontent.  Guilty.  Thankful.  Ha!  Yeah, that last one doesn't fit, does it?  I have been learning so much about thankfulness over the course of this last year.  My Bible study leaders, Rick and Patti Ehrhardt, have contributed to that quite a bit ... and then, of course, the Holy Spirit.  He is so faithful to work in my life, even when I'm not faithful to Him.  I've grown a lot in thankfulness, and I continue to strive to possess a thankful heart each and every day.  But over the past several weeks, I have been struggling. ... I'm tired of my job - I have so much downtime.  I've gotten lots of good reading done, but I don't know how much more I can read!  And I'm a productive person, and having tons of downtime each day really wears on me.  So I've just lost sight of thankfulness concerning my job.  And a lot of my friends are having babies.  And I've caught the baby fever!  God could give us a baby any time.  But so far, no luck.  So I struggle to be content with the waiting.  I'm just ready for a new adventure ... what better adventure than being a MOM!

READING ... my Bible ... 1 Samuel to be more specific ... Jesus Calling by Sarah Young ... and Better Off Without Jesus by Chuck Bomar.  I finally got my reading list down to three books!  Haha!  I was reading about 4 other books ... The Atonement Child by Francine Rivers, The Daniel Plan, Grace for the Good Girl by Emily Freeman, and Made to Crave by Lysa TerKeurst ... and it was crazy trying to read so many books at one time!  Sooo many good books though!

THINKING ... "what a long day!"  I'm a job coach for a high school in my area, and with it being the last three days of school, we're not taking the kids out to their jobs in the community ... therefore, I have no job.  I'll probably read a few tests to kids in the Resource room later, but for now ... I've got nothin'!  Nothing to do.  And I would keep busy if I could ... but there's nothing for me to do.  Aide positions are fairly specific.  So why not blog? ;)

PLANNING ... to try again with The Daniel Plan.  Darrell never used his Daniel Plan journal, so I'm gonna try another 40 days of healthy eating, exercising, perspective, relationships, and faith.  (Those are the goals of the Daniel Plan, by the way!)  I'm hoping it will kick-start me to healthier living.  The first time went alright ... but this time is gonna be even better!

DREAMING ... of becoming a MOM. :)  My husband and I have been off birth control for about 2 months ... so I'm hoping to be a mama sometime in the near future.  I think about it a lot ... I try to be thankful for where I am and be patient for when God wants a baby for us.  Overall, I think I'm pretty good about the wait ... but some days (especially when I see Ivy and Belle ... or hear about Tiffany's baby Gillian on the way), I struggle a bit.  But all in God's time ... He's got it! :)

SETTING GOALS ... to lose some weight and get healthy physically ... but also spiritually, emotionally, and relationally.  I wanna be physically healthy to take care of my family (which will hopefully be growing soon!) and have the energy to love and serve the people around me.  I wanna be spiritually healthy so that I can honor Jesus and love and serve the people around me.  I wanna be emotionally healthy so that I can overcome my failure issues, learn to give myself grace, respond to circumstances with an eternal perspective, and so that I can love and serve the people around me.  And I wanna be relationally healthy so that I can grow as an encourager and love and serve the people around me.

EATING ... mostly whole foods, more veggies, and less sugar.  I still mess up quite a bit, but I am doing better than I was 6 months ago ... and imperfect progress is still progress. :)

TRYING ... to be more thankful and let go of the try-hard life.

EXCITED ... to have a change of pace and scenery for my job this summer.  I'll be working for my mom, helping her get The Porch ready to reopen later this summer.  No job coaching again until August.

LAUGHING ... at my husband.  He makes up languages, tickles me, hugs me and then goes dead weight and pretends to snore loudly in my ear, cracks jokes and acts crazy all the time but especially when I'm having a downer day.  He's just a huge goofball, and I love him!

SoZo Devotionals: 1 Samuel

I started reading through the book of 1 Samuel recently ... so what better place to get our devotionals this week than what I'm reading in my own personal devotions? :)  Hope you can get some good stuff out of this week's devos ... well, of course you will!  It's GOD'S Word you're reading!  Soak it up!  Sit and think about it.  Grow!  And have a wonderful week!

Monday, May 26th - Read 1 Samuel 1
I think Hannah is such a cool lady!  She had so much faith!  As I read this chapter, I was able to learn a few things about Hannah that I can think about in my own life.  Read about Hannah in this chapter, and then write down the things you find about her character.  Do YOU carry the same character qualities in your life?

Tuesday, May 27th - Read 1 Samuel 2
Again, I found more character qualities in Hannah.  Can you find 'em?  And then think about it ... do you exhibit those same qualities?  How can YOU grow in your character today?

Wednesday, May 28th - Read 1 Samuel 3
Samuel was READY to follow the Lord and do as He commanded.  Think about YOUR life.  Are YOU ready to follow the Lord?  Do YOU strive to do all that He has called you to do?  If not, what can you do to change that?

Thursday, May 29th - Read 1 Samuel 7:3-4
If we are following the Lord, why is it to important to "put away" (get rid of!) the gods (or idols) in our lives?  What is an idol?  Do YOU have idols in your life?  How can you get rid of them and follow after the Lord?  How can you "direct your heart to the Lord and serve Him only" as it says in verse 3?

Friday, May 30th - Read 1 Samuel 12:14-15
Verse 14 - What happens when we fear and obey the Lord?
Verse 15 - What happens when we rebel against the Lord?
HOW do YOU fear and obey the Lord in your daily life?
HOW do YOU rebel against the Lord in your daily life?
What changes do you need to make to honor the Lord?

Saturday, May 31st - 1 Samuel 13:8-15
What can you learn from Saul's life?
What happened when Saul didn't trust God and went His own way?
What happens when we don't trust God and walk our own way?

Don't forget to spend some time talking with Jesus this week.  He loves to hear from you ... He seeks your worship ... and He wants to answer your prayers and lift your burdens. :)