11/7/11

day 7 and i am thankful for elliptical machines and stationary bikes...and the team of people that kick my butt in the gym!! i know, this is not a normal thing to be thankful for, but i am. i started working out three weeks ago and cutting back on my portions...i am now down 6.5 pounds!!! i am so excited! knowing that there is a group of girls waiting for me, expecting me to show up, helps me get out of bed every day. i have always needed help in pushing myself with cardio...they know how to do it. the tradeoff is that i am able to help push them while doing weight training...soon they will be out pressing those boys!! :)

i dont love getting up at 6:30am to go get sweaty, but it sure does feel good after! and that number on the scale makes me feel much better...well, better than it did 3 weeks ago.

i am still thankful for oreos...we are just on a break from each other! i missed out on the orange and black ones this year :(

off to bed to get up early!

blessings, ALo

11/6/11

day six: i am thankful for weekends with my husband!! this weekend we went out with friends, celebrated a birthday for a friend, did a few things around the house, had some quality conversations, and served together at church. i love that he wants to serve with me at church, that he is willing to "give up" a good portion of his weekend to be a part of COF students!

i love spending time with my best friend!!! i love my best friend!!!

have a great week!

blessings, ALo

11/5/11

today i am thankful for my little brother, nathan. nate-dawg (as i affectionately call him) turned 14 today!! i am so sad that i missed out on his birthday dinner. nate always chooses to go to outback steakhouse...i wonder if in a few years it will be something more like, ruth chris' or flemings??? anyway, i will never forget when nate-dawg was born...i was a typical teenager and not real enthusiastic about anything having to do with family :) my friends all thought it was kind of cool to have a little one to coo over and play babysitter for...he eventually grew on me too! :) nate has always had a strong personality...mixed with my strong personality, you never know what is going to happen when we interact. sometimes we get along great and other times its like oil and water. remember, nate is also an 8th grader this year, that doesnt usually help my case! nate likes to rub in the fact that he is now taller than me...he also likes to tell me that he is smarter than i am, but that is not truth!! :) i wish that i had more "older" pics on my computer of nate and i over the years, but they are in photo albums...before the true digital age. here are a few of my favorites that are on my computer:

as the ring bearer in my wedding, 8/2006, age 8

family pic, he think he is so cool!! 9/2007 

very typical, still!!! easter in ohio 2008

first year (and first game) of gull lake football, 6th grade 9/2009

whole family for thanksgiving, nate had just turned 13. 11/2010

my last night in MI before moving to texas...look how grown up they both are! 8/2011

i love you, nate dawg, you will always be my little bro, no matter how big you get. i have missed a lot of your growing up, but i am so proud of who you are becoming! continue to keep going after your relationship with the Lord; He is the only One who will never let you down! you have some amazing talents and abilities, remember to use them to help others, not just yourself! we are blessed to have one of the most amazing mom's...take good care of her...you have to give respect to get it! know that i am always in your corner, praying for you, here to encourage you, and always love you!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY NATE-DAWG!!!

blessings, ALo

11/4/11

Day 4: I am thankful for my amazing bed! After a day like today, I love getting in to bed, recapping the day with Peter, pray, then fall asleep knowing that tomorrow is a new day!! And thankfully, since today is Friday, I get to sleep in with Peter tomorrow!!! :)

I hope you sleep tight! Sweet dreams!!

Blessings, ALo

11/3/11

today i am thankful to live in a country where i am able to openly and publicly worship God. i know that there are people here in america who are trying to suppress that freedom, that makes me very sad for them. sad that they do have the kind of relationship with their Creator where it is impossible not to feel overcome by joy from Him, joy that they want others to see and feel and experience. i also know that there are many men and women who have fought to protect that very same right, and that right for other people in other countires. my brother is one of those people. i will always be grateful, thankful, appreciative of those who willingly serve to protect me and my beliefs.

today i am also thankful for the men and women who serve as missionaries both here in america and across the globe. some of these people are able to be open about their mission, but a great number of them have to "hide" and find other ways to show people God's love for them. i get so excited when i think about meeting some of these great warriors in Heaven!

tonight at COF, we had our monthly gathering for a night or praise and worship, we call it "first thursday" (because that is when we have it, the first thursday of each month). it is such an awesome time of prayer, and praise, and worship! i love going because i can walk in and not think about what is going on in the student building, or what i need to rush out to do right after for the next weekend service, etc. first thursdays is all for me...i purposely go to be fed and to grow and to enjoy. tonight was no exception and i walked away so refreshed and excited! tonight we focused on prayer for those serving the world...places that we are a part of missionally, people that we know who are serving, people/groups that are being ministered to through those people, etc. each prayer was followed up with songs of praise. in the end, pastor mark asked us to reach out to those around us who were grieving or going through a trial (by show of hands) and pray for them. then he asked us to join hands all across the room and pray for person on our right and our left. we were supposed to share a simple request with the person on each side. my friend, jacqueline, was on my left and peter was on my right. at this point i was already starting to tear up so i didnt say anything, they both knew what my request was (just like i am sure that if any of you were standing next to me you would know too!) then we prayed. mark told us to pray, and because there were two or more gathered, to claim that prayer as heard. to reach out and claim the promise that God had for each of us. now, isnt that exactly what i wrote yesterday? it was awesome!!!! so, today i am also thankful for COF and first thursdays and all the amazing things that are going to come from the service tonight because of the power of prayer!!

can i have three things (really more than that) in one day? well, i just did. :) 

here is one of the songs that we sang tonight (also a fav of mine!!)

blessings, ALo

11/2/11

day two: i am thankful for God's promises. 

in the midst of everything that has happened in the last year, i keep clinging to the promises that God has for me and for my family. i am thankful that i have a God that keeps His word!! i wish that i was a little more patient, but i know that He is truer than true to His word and i will not be disappointed. I will be blessed because of His love for me. This should be my praise everyday...there are certainly enough blessings to be thankful for. i have to be careful not to listen to the devil...his telling me that God's timing is not good enough, that God has forgotten about me, that only some of the promises are intended for me, etc. satan wants us focus on the things we are missing out on, on the things that will drive a wedge between God and us. choosing to be thankful has that same affect on satan...it drives a wedge between us and him. 

what promise from God are you clinging to right now?

blessings, ALo

11/1/11

that is a lot of ones!!! i kinda like stuff like that...all ones in the date, when the clock reads 10:23 (my birthday), etc. i am really excited for 10/11/12 and dates similar...i know, i am weird. so, since it is the first of november and since november is the month of thanksgiving, i am going to blog everyday about something that i am thankful for. some days the post could be lengthy and go into details, somedays you might get lucky and it be just a simple statement, and some days it could be something i am thankful for along with other things that are going on. wont you be on pins and needles now, trying to guess what the blog for the day will hold?? :)

day 1: today i am thankful for honest conversations. i had the privilege of having several of those today. i had my first official day on staff at COF today, which on tuesdays means a staff wide meeting followed by team planning. i was so encouraged by the staff meeting...to be circled up praying for each other, praising God for who He is and what He does and then praying against the devil for each other. this after watching 94 people get baptized over the weekend! but tonight was great! my new friend, justine, came over and we did nails and made (kinda healthy) quesadillas and just talked...for hours. she just left and i feel like i have now known her forever. we were open and real. we talked about our lives. we laughed and we cried and it was all totally normal and comfortable. i am thankful that God has allowed our paths to cross and that we feel able to just chill with each other.

i am not sure if i mentioned it in my last post, but i have been working hard in the gym for the last 3 weeks. i work out with some younger girls (well, younger than me is what i mean), justine included. i have been so sore the last two days...in a good way! i have not seen any huge number change on the scale, but i have felt a difference! i have so much more energy, i feel much stronger, less flabby, and i have felt less emotional too. the first week was really hard for me...to show up and be shown up, but i have come to realize it doesnt matter. the girls i work out with are perfect, because we all push each other in different ways and they are just glad that i try...great encouragers! :) hopefully, this will help my body be a better environment for when i get to be a mom/incubator again. until then i will just keep pedaling along and sweating it out!!! :)

so, what are you thankful for today? this week? this month? i encourage to think about it...make a list!

blessings, ALo