Paying It Forward

Today, I was reminded of just how awesome God is. I shared this story with a friend and she nudged me to write this out for others to read.

A few weeks ago, the above friend entered a contest on the Elliot Roofing Facebook page then she begged over and over asked all of her friends to go "like" Elliot Roofing and then "like" her funny Christmas photo. If her photo won (which it did) then Elliot Roofing would donate $500 to Samaritan's Purse to build a fresh water well to supply water to family's in need. I'll be honest, I don't "like" a lot of business pages on Facebook because I don't want my News Feed filled with business info. That being said, I still Liked their page and voted for my friends photo because the contest/donation was for a good cause, and of course I wanted her to win because she's just as competitive as I am.

Let me backtrack to about a week before the above mentioned contest started ... Each year we pick an angel off of the Angel Tree at church so this year was no different. We've had quite a few financial stresses this year with three hospital stays (one being Parker's birth), a surgery, and another surgery coming up next week, but we are still blessed so we know that it's our job to pay it forward. The angel that we chose was a 6 year old girl and her list of needs/wants was LONG. I had every intention of shopping for her on a budget, but when I realized the price of her requested items, I knew that we would blow our budget; however, I felt that it was important to get her what she was asking for and a few surprises. It breaks my hearts to think that some kids won't receive anything for Christmas so this is the least that we could do. As I shopped for her items, I kept a running total in my head until I passed my budget of $50. At checkout, I realized that I had spent $100 on our angel. I didn't regret one penny that I spent. I don't tell you that amount to brag, but to finish my original story...

The Elliot Roofing Christmas photo contest ended yesterday and they also reached a goal of 1,000 Likes. The company posted that they would give something away once they reached 1,000. I was shocked when I looked at Facebook today and saw that my name was chosen (out of just over 1,000 likes) to receive a $100 American Express gift card! I had tears in my eyes as I read and reread my name and the gift card amount.

Are you with me?! $100 gift card! We spent $100 on our angel! God is so good and He will always repay you for your faithfulness. It may not come in a financial way, but it will come.

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About a month ago, our Pastor mentioned the following verse in his sermon and ever since that day, it has been posted inside our pantry door as a daily reminder of God's promises if we simply trust in Him.

Malachi 3:10 - "Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it."

I challenge you today or this week, to step out of your comfort zone and to be a blessing to someone and then see how that kindness comes back to you. I promise that you will not regret it!

The New Me - Month Two

Two months ago, on Oct 13th, I decided to make a change. You can read about my month one progress Here.

I'm two months into working out and eating better, and I must admit - I'm proud of myself. And I'm proud of myself for saying that because I push myself pretty hard, and although I see results, I also know that I haven't reached my final goals. I have a long way to go, and I'm not going to stop until I get to where I want to be. However long this journey takes, I will remember to rejoice in the small victories along the way.

Besides weight lifting and running at home, I still attend an all female Boot Camp class 1-3 times a week. If you are not part of one of these classes, then I highly recommend that you find one (this class is for all skill levels, all weights, and all ages). These girls are amazing! I'm slowly getting to know everyone in class. These ladies push me to be better. They motivate me. They speak encouraging words to me (at 5:30am no less). They are wonderful ladies to be around. I'm doubly blessed to attend this class with my best friend of 22 years. This girl knows me inside and out and I love having her working just as hard as I am right by my side ... talk about some extra motivation! (If you have been wanting to join a class, and you live near 31st and County Line, then please contact me. I would LOVE for you to come to class with me. I promise that you will not regret it.)


Workout Routine / Accountability: For month two, I decided to commit to weights on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I run on Tuesday and Thursday. I either run or lift weights on Sat, whichever I choose to do on that particular day. I play soccer on Sunday's.

This was a tough month. The motivation to workout and run were there, but my health took a hit. Different members of my family had the stomach bug off and on for 12 days. I had it 4 days myself. I also had to deal with sinus issues and a cough after the stomach bug. That being said, I still did as much as I could when I could. No matter what "my plans" were, life happens and sickness is out of my control. So, I accepted what life had to offer and I carried on because I'm not going to let excuses get in the way of me reaching my goals!

Day 32: Boot camp w/weights

Day 34: Weights; Finally got a scale and weighed myself. I figured that I lost 2-3 pounds in my first month. Surprise! I'm down 5 pounds! Woohoo!

Day 36: Ran 1.09 miles; Walked one hour at the zoo with my family while pushing a double stroller.

Day 37: Soccer

Day 38: Weights

Day 39: Ran 1.15 miles

Day 40: Boot Camp w/weights

Day 41: Thanksgiving Day. Ran my best mile at 9 minutes 41 seconds. I'm pretty sure that my motivation to run was because I needed to work off the amazing piece of chocolate pie that I ate!

Day 42: Boot Camp; The dreaded stomach bug hit that evening.

Day 43: Stomach Bug; Not eating

Day 44: Stomach Bug; Not eating

Day 45: Stomach Bug; Not eating

Day 46: Stomach bug; Not eating

Day 47: I'm finally well so I took a day of rest. The only positive to having the stomach bug was that I lost 4 pounds; however, I do not recommend that type of weight loss to anyone. I was miserable.

Day 48: Sore throat and sinus issues started today. I'm one lucky girl to get this right on the heels of the stomach bug. Rest day.

Day 49: Weights - first workout in a week and it felt good. I'm still having sinus issues and I now have Laryngitis. Awesome.

Day 52: Weights; bad cough

Day 53: Ran 1 mile

Day 54: Boot Camp w/weights; bad cough

Day 55: While I was ill, my Boot Camp class took a fitness test. The test is to see how quickly you run 1 mile, how long you can hold the plank position, how long you can sit against a wall, how many push ups you can do in 1 min, and how many burpees you can do in 1 min. I took the test at home today and it was tough. I'm curious to see how much stronger I will be when we retake the test at the end of the month. I'll share my numbers at that time. *** Our fitness instructor also challenged us to do certain things during the month of December, such as drink half of our body weight in water daily, write a daily food log, exercise 30 minutes a day, take a multi vitamin and fish oil daily, and a few other things. We get points for the tasks that we complete and we turn in our points each week. The food log is the biggest thing holding me accountable right now. I'll be honest, I hate food logs.

Day 56: My birthday! Boot Camp

Day 57: Lots of quick walking while Christmas shopping for 4 hours kid free.

Day 58: More walking while Christmas shopping and carrying a 2 year old. I call this my "everyday workout"

Day 59: Boot Camp (20 something degrees)

Day 60: Ran 1 mile; walked (48 degrees)

Day 61: Boot camp w/weights (20 something degrees)

Day 62: Two Months Down!


Month Two Results:

• I'm down 10 pounds from when I started two months ago!
• My jeans are loose. All women know that jeans are just more comfortable the second day that you wear them. I'm happy to say, that mine are too loose to wear a second day without washing and drying them. Yay!
• I've lost a total of 3 3/4" inches in two months with 2 1/2 of those inches being in my problem areas (aka hips and waist). 
• I'm still eating along with my Hypoglycemic meal plan, and I know that this is helping with my weight loss. This is not a diet, but rather a healthy way to eat and to maintain my blood sugar throughout the day. I can't lie, I have had a few extra sweets this month, but I'm not about to blame them on the fact that this month contained Thanksgiving and my birthday. Those two events could not possibly bring extra (fabulous) sweets into my life. Or could they?
• I have put up motivational quotes on the wall in our garage near the weight set. I recommend a wall like this near your workout area. It's a nice positive push when I'm working out by myself.
• I don't let the cold weather dictate my workouts. If it was Boot Camp day, weights day, or run day, I just did what I needed to do because worrying about the weather is just one more excuse that I've put in my past. For the record, I do not like cold weather and all of my workouts are outside or in a cold garage. I love that I'm being pushed out of my comfort zone.
• I'm still sore on a daily basis. This is great news because it means that my muscles are constantly working and doing different things.
• I'm seeing positive changes in my body shape and that is highly motivating!

Like I said before, I've given myself 6 months to be get back in the shape that I want to be in so I'll update you again at month three.