Happy 200th Post - Renewal Day number I don't even know.

I can't even remember when I updated last - I do know it was earlier this week, but I am not sure what day - I guess I could go look but I don't feel like it. This week has been overhwhelmingly busy - I saw several clients this week, taught health and special ed for a day each, went to a bike night, youth group, a football game in Lewisburg where I got to see a ton of old friends and students (I miss you guys!), and today I went to the radio station, had lunch with Braedon - welcome home from your World Race, and then put fabric on the sound panels for the Family life center. Oh my!!! I am tired.

Because of my schedule this week, I have not done well with the exercise part of my renewal. I am so tired and it is usually dark by the time that I get home that I just not able to go. I am also sick - yuck!!!

Anyway - now to my successes and unsuccesses for the week. Along with not exercising I also didn't do well with the vitamins this week - I just didn't take them. (I will do better tomorrow) As far as the eggs go....this week you are supposed to have two eggs a day - I did that one day this week - but I really am not a fan of eggs so I need to do better on that as well. This week I was supposed to start with my lemon water which I did all week - today was rough - our water is so bad in the last two days - I feel like I am drinking a swimming pool. I also was to drink 64 oz of water each day - I think I am doing pretty well with that. So at least there are two successes. As far as the spiritual side of the renewal - I have journaled and done my prayer time every day but one this week. I was also supposed to come up with some weight loss goals this week - my hope is to lose 20 pounds by Christmas. My goal for exercise - 3-4 times a week and my goals for scripture memory - 3 verses a month. Quiet time - 3-4 times a week. I wish I had bigger goals but I really want to focus on being realistic!

So there you have it friends! I am doing okay with my renewal - I am hoping for a good weekend of refreshment and renewal! Planning a walk tomorrow - hoping I am feeling up to it.

A Funny Sign!!!

Okay so I am taking a one night hyatis from my 90 renewal series to bring you this important message from the Wesley Forest camp staff. This is an actual sign that is posted in the women's restroom. I am not even kidding.....

Now all I have to say is .... how do they go about finding the original owner???

Day 7 - One week down!

It has officially been one week since I started my 90 day renewal. I am so excited that I got a great spiritual boost this weekend to add to my life changes that I would like to continue to make. This weekend was the Richfield Mennonite Women's retreat called Unexpected Joy. We looked at different character's of the bible and how God used both their trials and their triumphs to teach them profound life lessons about Himself, about each other, and about ourselves.

I must say I have never laughed so hard in my life - I actually cried because I was laughing so hard, the game boxers and briefs is hysterically funny when playing with a group of 20 women! All I have to say to that is polla - gomy and Apples. We laughed a lot, cried alot, and shared some great memories with each other - what a blessing to make new friends and grow closer to current friends. Remember ladies - we can't have our destinies without our histories - and we are in this place for such a time as this - bring on the JOY!!!!

As I look back over my week there were some things I did very well at - Lemon water, vitamins - I did well with those. I journaled daily which is a huge step for me. I spent time in prayer and reflecting on scriptures. I did not do well memorizing the first verse, but the second verse started yesterday and I almost have that one down.

Yesterday as part of the retreat we had 30 minutes of quiet time. It was interested to hear later how many woman were worried they wouldn't have enough to talk to God about - yet later how many said that they wished there was more time. I need to do that more often. Maybe I should have a goal for once a month to start with in hopes that I will do it at least once a week.

Today our focus was on needing other people, which I just read tonight as I was closing my day...the coolest part about that is that was exactly what I spoke about today at the retreat and it was the same exact scripture! God is so cool like that - not a coinsidence but a God insidence. It also talked about finding a partner in this 90 day commitment...the great news is that I already have someone - Jess! I am so thankful that she is doing this along with me, I do so much better when I have someone to share the journey with me.

Another thing that I did very well with last week that it actually didn't even mention and to be honest it wasn't actually something that I did intentionally it just kinda happened this way. This whole week - all I drank was water, I only had one can of Pepsi on Saturday night as a treat. It actually really does make a difference.

What I didn't do well at....two things which I would like to do better on this week....I would like to eat more green veggies (which means shopping tomorrow!) and doing better with my fifteen minutes of exercise. Although yesterday I was able to go for a hike/walk with some of the women and it was so refreshing! I did it!!! It was so freeing to be able to walk for a little bit - I hope my body keeps responding well!! It was great to have a least a little glimpse of the old me...and don't worry I am not going overboard (I thought Joel was a bit worried about my little excersion, but I promise I rested along the way and exercise is good for me as long as I don't overdo it).

Now it is off to bed to rest and recover from my weekend! God is so good!

Day Three of Renewal

It has been a rough day - I was sick last night so I was up on and off most of the night....so I slept in - then got up and started working right away.... I made my hot lemon water and took it with me to the office. I was so busy and stressed throughout the day I didn't finish my water until 2:30 - let's just say that it wasn't hot anymore!

I didn't even get to read my book until getting home tonight. So at 8pm tonight I finally got to take my vitamins and eat my dinner. I did drink water all day so that is good. Then much to the fact that I am exhausted I did get on my mini trampoline for 3 minutes. I am officially exhausted - I was supposed to walk for 15 minutes today but with all the yard sale work which I was doing for hours so that is better than walking...but I am going to pay for it tomorrow - I am hurting to say the least.

The last thing I have to do today is to type up my top five lists and post it on the refridgerator. So today was not as good as I would like in any way - I was stressed, crabby, tired, and in pain, and I didn't start my day with my reading as I should - let's just say tomorrow I will do my best to read my book before starting my day not ending my day!

Day Two of Renewal

I woke up this morning to a glorious cup of hot lemon juice, not joking - it really is a good way to start your day. While drinking my juice, I did my homework for the day which was to take my top 25 list and break that down into top fives. I had to count how many I had of each category, funny I had 16 to dos, 5 to haves, and 4 to bes - that is things I would like to be aka a good wife. Things I would like to have like my extra freezer or new tires for my car, and lastly but my largest group by far - my to do list, which includes finishing my wedding thank yous. I didn't share my top 25 list last night, but I think I can share my top fives.

Top 5 To be

1. A Godly wife

2. A Godly mother/role model

3. 25 pounds lighter

4. Headache free

5. A life changing speaker

Top 5 To Have

1. A cure for MS

2. More time to quilt

3. A bigger kitchen

4. An extra freezer

5. Clothes that actually fit

Top 5 To Dos

1. Write a book

2. Complete a marathon (not necessarily run)

3. Sell my house by Christmas

4. Adopt or Foster care for abandoned kids

5. Complete my wedding thank yous by the end of this month

That is my list for the day! I also had to walk for 15 minutes - so I mowed the lawn - I hope that counts! And I took my vitamins as scheduled! So that is a check on day Two! Now I am off to burn more CDs for the retreat, and finish the powerpoints. It has been a busy day!

Day One

Don't worry - I am not going to write every day of my 90 days, but I thought that since this was the first day that maybe I should make a post. So here it is. For the first time in over a year and a half I journaled! Crazy I know - I used to journal all the time before I got sick a couple years ago and then for some reason I stopped writing. There is space to write and check things off in the book that I am using but I don't really want to write in it in case I want to do it again sometime. I am so weird like that.

So I journaled all my answers. I started today with my hot lemon water - it was actually pretty good! The books says that it will tell us later why we are drinking that. I took my vitamin and my Ester C - those tablets are like horse pills - I could barely swallow them.

I did the devotional, prayer time but struggled to stay focused - there is my blatant honesty!!! I wish I was a more focused person in that area of life.

You didn't have to weigh in but I did just so I can have a starting point...oh my goodness - I haven't weighed this much since my college days - YUCK!!!!!

For my exercise today I walked the halls at the school for a period as the hall monitor - that was a bit tiring and boring - but oh well. Then when I got home tonight I did my mini trampoline - yes can you believe I have a mini trampoline. I can even do it without getting dizzy which is a good thing....however I only had to to 3 minutes.

Lastly we had to make a list of 25 things that we would like to have, to be, or to do.....you would think with such a broad range of things that you are able to write down that this would be easy...oh my it took me forever just to think of things and I was reaching...it is one of the most random lists....Joel made fun of me that the first thing on my list was to have an extra Freezer...I am not sure why I thought of that first, but I did. Oh well. I am exhausted and have felt pretty crappy all day, so day one is done we will see how the week ends up!!!

The 90 Day Challenge

It has been a busy summer - I have been so bad at blogging as well as bad at eating healthy, bad at exercise (much to my dismay) and bad and getting all the things done that I would like to get done. With all that said - tomorrow morning I am going to begin a 90 day wellness challenge along with a friend of mine. This challenge is total wellness - spiritual, physical,emotional, etc. The best part - it is not a diet but a focus on adding healthy things into my life with each day.

One of my favorite parts is that each week of the challenge there is scripture to memorize - focused prayer time and topics to think about. The book that I am using is called the Becoming the Woman I want to be.

Part of what I hope to do is do daily (let's be realistic - WEEKLY) updates on my blog to help me keep accountable for what I am doing.

I start tomorrow morning off with a hot cup of Lemon water - this should be interesting - I love cold lemon water so maybe hot lemon water will be just as good.

Now I am soon off to bed to prepare for my 90 day wellness challenge. With God's help - I can do this -despite my MS I am going to press on and not let it control my physical health even if I can't exercise as much as I would like.