Anna's Bananas on Repentance

"I would love to see a post about your spiritual fit routine. How did you first come to know Him? How do you maintain a spiritually fit life? What are your struggles?" - Rachel


Rachel has asked me to write about something that speaks to the core of who I am as a human and a follower of Jesus Christ. It's a precious request! How did I find Him? and how do I stay with Him? I don't think either can be answered completely in a life time. Others that know Him, know what I mean when I say it is a romantic mystery; how and why He chooses and chases after us. A mystery that I am so thankful for! Hallelujah! I don't think these posts will be a 10 step guide on how to stay spiritually fit, but Rachel has inspired me to write some of what has been given to me by Him.


 By no means am I the spiritual authority on how to be a Christian. All I can do, and what I am happy to do, is tell a little about the many things the Lord has done and revealed in my own life. So, with the Spirit guiding, I am thankful for this opportunity to share part of this amazing story the Lord Jesus Christ has written in my heart. So get comfy, pop some pop corn, maybe grab a snickers bar, some tissue, and even a Bible would be a good idea, it's gonna be a long handful of posts to come!


Repent, Believe, Love, Obey!


If  I were to get a tattoo, those words would probably be it. In a circle, on my side, where my ribs are. They have become the theme to so many days in the Word, so many days talking to others, they seem to filter into my consciousness like a warm reminding whisper.
So the next several posts will be my Bananas on repentance, belief, love, and obedience. 

Anna's Bananas on REPENTANCE

Confess.
Confession. Repent.
Repentance.

How did I come to repentance?

Luke 3:8a Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. 
Those words spoken by John the baptists, who was filled with the Holy Spirit even before he was born. God sent him on a mission to spread the truth of the good news that was on it's way in Jesus Christ. I believe we must come to a stance of repentance before Jesus can come and do His full work in us.

It doesn't take a sharp eye to see that this world we live in is fallen. I won't insult your intelligence, but let me just list some of the blaring signs of sin in the earth around me. The first one I think of, just because it's been a topic of conversation lately,
the holocaust.
How about the sex slave industry in America? Think about that, sex. slave. INDUSTRY? There is an industry of exploiting, enslaving, and abusing woman and children. Wow.
I know some of you had to watch Oprah as much as I did, think about all those tear jerker episodes about broken families, abuse, dysfunction, at 4pm when you should have been doing homework?
Okay, that gets your mind rolling down a depressing hill huh? It's real isn't it; the darkness that this world seems to rule under?
Fallen, I was fallen. Was. I believed the lies of the enemy, I fell for them hook line and sinker. I could write a book listing all the reasons I was fallen, separate from true goodness, for the sake of this blog I will list the top five.
Number one lie I fell for: Follow your heart. AKA Be Selfish.
 Here is an excerpt from one of my journal entries written a few months ago, that I think will help you get what I'm talking about here.

I am now fully convinced that selfishness is the demise of all relationships and leads people so far away from Christ that they forget who they are and who He is. Isn’t selfishness the reason for the “fall” in the first place? Wasn’t it Adam and Eve, wanting to be like God, themselves? Selfishness, its evil and everyone is born selfish. It’s so advertised and encouraged in our culture, it’s hard to recognize sometimes. The devil dresses it up beautifully, and makes it sing a sweet song to our hearts. Growing up we are told to “follow our hearts,” or to “listen to your heart,” or “whatever makes you happy,” or “To thine own self be true" put by Shakespeare in Hamlet. We are almost indoctrinated from birth to be selfish, to please our selves, and to let our heart lead us.

Do you know what the bible says about the human heart? Here are a few verses, of many, so you get a clear understanding.

Genesis 8:21                

The Lord smelled the pleasing aroma and said in his heart: “Never again will I curse the ground     because of humans, even though every inclination of the human heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done. 

 Ecclesiastes 9 :3        

This is the evil in everything that happens under the sun: The same destiny overtakes all. The hearts of people, moreover, are full of evil and there is madness in their hearts while they live, and afterward they join the dead.

Jeremiah 17:9  

The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?

Matthew 15:8
“‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.

Mark 7:21       

For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder,

So you get where I'm coming from on that one? It pains me to think of the brothers and sisters I have hurt in the past because of my near sightedness.
Number two lie I fell for: I'm my own god.

2006 in the middle of serving me 

This follows the first deception accordingly. Follow my own heart, do what's best for me. How can I be successful, how can I be admired, how can I be beautiful, how can I be the best, how can I bring glory to myself? I was thinking of myself always, improving myself (on my own ability) always. I was comparing myself to others always. I was making all my own decisions, based on what was best for me. I was guiding my life. I was loving MYSELF with all my heart, soul, mind and strength. Anyone that knew me then (then being not that long ago) if they saw anything good in me it was the seed of the Word that was planted by mercy and slowly growing inside me. (Mark 4:27-28a Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain...) I worshiped my self, by seeking the best for me. I was self centered, selfish, greedy, envious, ungrateful. I was only concerned with what I got out of everything.
Number three lie I fell for: I am my own savior. 
In the midst of all my self worship, I couldn't escape this empty, lonely, sometimes self loathing feeling. In the darkness of the night, alone, victim to my thoughts, I would often go back to the big hurt. The one that I blamed all my problems on. The one that I used to excuse my vanity, and most wrong doings on. My sexuality was corrupted from a young age. A common result of sin for so many. Sister, if you are reading this right now, and you have a hurt that seems so deep, it has become part of your identity, stay with me. Better yet let me just say right now because I feel the urgency to, run to Jesus Christ with that memory, that pain. Run to Him, He can and will wipe away all your tears and make that wrong right. Okay, sorry I just had to get that out of my heart. So yeah, what I would do was lick my own wounds, so to speak. I was subconsciously avenging the corruption of my sexuality, the corruption and loss of my purity. Now things were on my terms, I would never be hurt again like that, it would be my choice, my way or the highway. I was my own protection.
Number four lie I fell for: Love from another human is the answer to my unhappiness.
This also follows the previous deception. So basically I believed (whether I was aware of it or not) that finding a husband, getting married, being loved by a man would make me all the way happy. If I was found to be lovable, (by a man) I would be redeemed. I put a lot of time and effort, and worry into falling in love. A lot of trial and error, a lot of hurting my heart and others hearts. A lot of putting pressure on the one man I love to make me all the way happy. After believing that human love would save me, I found it! Human love was finally mine all mine... but I still wasn't all the way happy.  A lot of pointing the finger in my poor husbands eye, trying to get the speck out, while I was hoisting the Titanic around in both of mine. (Matthew 7:1-5). If only he could be perfect, then I could be happy.
Number five lie I fell for: Ignoring the truth that there is right and wrong, ignoring the truth of guilt, ignoring the truth of knowing the truth, and ignoring it. Just ignore it!
Okay, I know that is a little lengthy and confusing (in true Anna Banana fashion). But hold on to your pencil skirt and take this crazy ride with me.
Ignoring the truth that there is a right and wrong: I will just be gutsy here and say that everyone has a conscious. Yes, even Hitler had one. Even my 1 and 1/2 year old daughter has one. Why else would she try to hide or be sneaky when she is trying to do something I don't want her to? Why else would she try to be extra sweet and lovey when she knows she has messed up. Right? She knows she messed up, and she has only been on this earth for 17 months. I knew when I did something wrong, before I believed in Jesus, and after, but it didn't seem to phase me, it didn't put much of a road block in my highway to self indulgence.
Ignoring the truth of guilt: just ignoring that feeling in my gut when I did the bad thing, even after I became a Christian, I would just chalk it up to being human but "free in Christ." Yuck, I was so wrong.
Ignoring the truth of knowing the truth, and ignoring it. Deep down I knew something was wrong. Before I became a 'Christian' and after. But knowing and not doing anything, not running to the One Holy God and expressing remorse, that was a lazy acceptance of a lie from the enemy that says,"ignore it and it will go away. It's not that big of a deal" Romans 1:32 Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them. - that pretty much sums up what I was doing.


So like I said, those are just the top five reasons I was fallen. If you look in Exodus 20, you can find those and 10 more reasons I was fallen.
Note: God gave the Israelite the ten commandments after He saved them.
          Exodus 20:1-2 And God spoke all these words: "I am the Lord your God, who brought you   out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery."
God was saying "Hey, I am GOD, the One that made this whole universe. I saved you, here is how you should live, I know because I am God, and as you can see I love you." But they didn't listen and neither did I.  I knew Jesus died on the cross, paid for my sin, I knew He called me to follow His commands (Matthew 22:37-40). But I wasn't living like I knew that, and I wasn't following His commands to love Him and love others. If you grew up in church like I did, you know that the Lord is Holy. You know that He is blameless and perfect. You know that He can not be in the presence of anything less than Holy. You know that "we all have fallen short of the glory of God." - Romans 3:23 There is a difference between accepting something in your mind and knowing and understanding something in your mind, heart and soul. Understanding the gravity of the situation when it comes to falling short of the glory of God. Understanding that this life on earth is the fantasy, and heaven or hell is the reality.
The Lord, in His mercy and grace, has brought me to repentance. It took me a while, and unfortunately until I was at the end of my rope. In my darkest time, I saw who I truly was and Who He truly is. I was all five of those sins listed above and everything else under the sun that relates to sin. Me = sin, He = Love.

 Deuteronomy 8:5 Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the Lord your God disciplines you.

Sometimes when my daughter is misbehaving, I ignore her. This is my way of disciplining her. 
Through His loving discipline the Lord brought me to complete and utter repentance by allowing me to ruin myself. I made a mess of my "success," I lost my security in my physical appearance, sin took away human love that I was getting from my husband, sin almost completely took away my marriage. I had nothing, I had made a mess of my life, even though I knew ABOUT Jesus, I was still living in death, in sin, in a mess I had made for myself. I had nothing left in my bag that I could pull out to get me out of this situation.
So I cried out to God, for real this time, with all I had left in my heart. I had been crying out to Him here and there since the seed was first planted in me, but not with my life. This time I fell on Christ, and I fell hard, and it hurt.
Matthew 21:44 "He who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed."
Giving up everything, admitting that everything I was, was nothing but sin. Calling out to God because He was and still is my only hope. Giving the Lord permission to end my life as I knew it, or save it. Surrendering everything. That's when I came to true repentance.

I think that it's hard for believers and non-believers to come to repentance in America. We have food in our bellies, we have shelter, medicine, clothing. Everything we "need." But man can't truly live on bread alone. (Luke 4:4) A guy at my old job once told me when I was trying to share the truth with him "I don't want to go to heaven, I want to go to hell, because that's where all the people like me will be. We will be having a party while you will be bored with God in heaven." If only that guy knew how serious those words he was speaking are. My husband Josh said it so well the other day,  "Satan has convinced Americans that this life on earth is heaven, that's why everyone is trying to live so long."
Matthew 19:23  Then Jesus said to His disciples, "Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven."
Why would someone repent if they have everything they need and everyone around them is saying "there is no right or wrong, no black or white, no standard, just do no harm to others and do what's best for you."?
Romans 1:25 They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator - who is forever praised. Amen. - that was me, and that is many of us.
I believe only the Lord in His mercy can bring someone to true repentance. He has revealed to me that this life is fading, that we all have a clock that's ticking. The only thing that matters, the ONLY thing that matters, the ONLY thing that has mattered, matters now and ever will matter is whether or not you admit that Jesus Christ is Lord, that the Lord God Almighty is Holy and that you are not. I know I sound redundant, but I have to repeat it because I used to "know" that in my head, but I didn't LIVE like that. I had to come to Him and tell Him "Lord, I haven't been living the way you called me to, forgive me, save me!" When this short life ends that's all that we will take with us, did we say yes or no to Jesus?

That leads me to my next post, Anna's Banana's on BELIEF. I hope this wasn't too dark, too random, too rambling. If it was, try to look past my flesh and just know that I am trying to share my heart with you!

Anna's Bananas on THINGS SHE LEFT OUT

Ha! So you thought I was done did you? Well not quite. I'm not sure what my next (full) post will be about (any requests/suggestions appreciated) but I do know I left some things out that I want you to know. Not in any specific order of course!

1) I don't know how in the world I forgot this, but, I forgot CHICKEN! I eat chicken all the time, and there is no way this girl from Florida could have lost all that weight without this tasty meat. So please include chicken in your weight loss plan! I like chicken breasts and even more I love chicken cutlets. I like the cutlets because they are easy to cook on the skillet (they are skinnier so its easier to make sure they are cooked all the way through) and they are fun to put on a salad or taco.

2) While I'm thinking about food, I also forgot soy milk. I did follow the WHITE RULE, but I can not drink coffee black. And I can not take care of my husband and child without coffee, so, instead of creamer, I used soy milk for a while. (a while was like the first 4 months). Make sure you don't get your husband drinking too much soy milk, I think it messes with their manliness, and we don't want that, mmmhhmm. I also used Truvia sometimes to sweeten the coffee.  

3) You know how I got really excited about being able to control your breathing while running? One of the reasons it is so good, is it helps prevent you from getting cramps or stitches is what I call them. So if you are cramping up a lot, there are three things that are most likely contributing to that problem. One is you are probably not drinking enough water throughout the day aka your dehydrated. Two you have too much sodium in your diet, therefore in your system. So cut down on the chips n salsa, and eat a banana! Three, you haven't been controlling your breathing. You need to treat your body like a machine that runs (wink) on oxygen. So just try, read my Bananas on RUNNING go to the part about controlling your breathing, and just try it till you get it, please? for me? I promise it's worth a try!  

4) While I'm thinking about stitches, I want to let you know what the best thing is to do when you have a stitch while running and working out. If it is a minor stitch, mine usually occur in my side or lower abdomen, keep running or working out, but slow down a tad. If it keeps bothering you and its in your leg slow down to a walk for one minute and it will usually go away. If its in your side or stomach, don't walk yet, keep running slow, lift up your arm over your head on the side where it's hurting, and use your other hand to press down a little where the stitch is. I don't know why, but this always works for me. You are going to get cramps more often in the beginning because, well I hate to tell you this, but you are running goofy! It's okay, we all do when we first start out! Your arms are all flailing about, your hips are moving way too much, it's just all wobbly! When you run, try to keep your arms perpendicular to your abs (not in front of you swinging, but at your side, with minimal swinging, actually try not to swing) Try to keep your hands relaxed but it's okay to have a fist like shape. Imagine holding a small plastic Easter egg, (there is a pink one on the floor left by my daughter if you are wondering where that inspiration came from.) Keep your back straight, shoulders back, and try to keep a straight line from the back of your ankle to the top of your head. This sounds kinda funny, but kinda poke your boobs out a little, that helps you keep your back straight. I said a little!  I don't want to see you imitating Dolly Parton while you are running (or ever for that matter)! Once you feel more comfortable with running, try to keep all movement from your hips up minimal. Like if someone couldn't see your legs it would like you were on a very fast people mover. Or like you are a crab, or a duck peddling fast under water, but cool calm and collected above. That is a little dramatic, you don't have to be that steady, but that's kinda what you want to picture, cool? All these things will help improve your technique, and help prevent stitches. 

5) Last one for now, I'm telling you I think about this stuff all day long! When you first start running I don't think you should worry about distance as much as you should time. If you are trying to really kick some butt at losing baby weight, it is important that you are taking at least an hour to do your run/work out. But after a month or two, you will need to and actually want to, start measuring distance, otherwise you wont be able to log and appreciate your progress. Remember how I told you it took me like 2 and a half hours to finish the first 15k I did? So a 15k is about 9.3 miles. That means it took me 16 to 17 minutes to finish each mile. Last month I did the same 15k and finished in 1 hour and 37 minutes. If there weren't 20,000 other people running the same run (I'm not exaggerating, it was the Gate River Run, look it up) I promise you I would have finished in an hour and 30 minutes. So that means my pace now is about a 10 minute mile. I know this, because I either run on the treadmill and it shows me my pace, or I run the same route, I know how far four miles is and I know how far 6 miles is, and I time myself. It feels good to see that improvement. So I'm saying all this because I think you will want to see your progress as well, so after a month or so, start measuring your distance and time, and give your self a pat on the back, or on your tighter booty ;)

Now here are two pictures because I promise to have a image for each post. Both of these are okay to eat after the first three months of eating well, working out and losing weight. I would consider both of these as my largest meal of the day, usually before 5pm. 

Turkey burger: two Sanwichthins (that separate into four pieces) lettuce and spinach, mustard and ketchup on both, cheddar cheese on one. Healthy, filling, and very yummy. 

Healthy (er) taco: taco shell, spinach, boiled egg sliced, seasoned ground turkey, fiesta cheese, and a small amount of salsa. Now don't that look gooooood? (said like Paula Deen)

Okay, so that one was pretty short (comparatively speaking). Let me know if you have any questions or suggestions for my next post. Stay strong mama! You can do it!

Anna's Bananas on the EATS

<sup>Sorry this post took so long to get up! Our internet wasn't working for a week. But I think that was actually all good because all week I was thinking about all the different things I wanted to put in this post about what to eat. In this post I am going to try to give you just some of the information, ideas and tips I have on how you can use food to lose weight and tone up. 


Last week during my MOPS meeting (if you are a mom of a preschooler and you aren't a part of MOPS, just google MOPS and then put your zip code in after that and you will find a group near you), the topic was Self Control, or lack thereof. I noticed so many of the moms were saying that food is kryptonite to their self control. And man oh man I can relate!  We all know how food can be a comfort, hobby, an addiction, or even a source of entertainment when you are bored. 
I know that for me, while I was pregnant, I felt like food was one of the only physical things I could enjoy. I couldn't sleep well, I couldn't drink any alcohol, even if I was in the mood for sex it wasn't quite as enjoyable (something about a brand new big butt and huge stomach crush's my mojo); so my flesh cried out "give me SOMETHING!" So food was there, yummy delicious easy food, all I had to do was pick it up and put it in my mouth. 
 After I had my daughter, I was still in the habit of eating like I was pregnant. I know first hand that getting out of an unhealthy relationship with food can be very hard. But thank the Lord that I don't have to do anything in my own strength. I have the power of the Awesome Living God inside of me, I can live the reality of my flesh being dead and my spirit is alive, new and eternal through Jesus Christ. I know what you are thinking, "whoa Anna, you are getting a little religious on me, I thought you were just going to write about some healthy food ideas." I know, but I can't shy away from the simple truth that everything we do or don't do effects our whole person, body, mind and soul. If food (or anything else) has power over me, I am not living the truth of who I am in Christ. As Christians we don't have to be weak, we don't have to sin anymore. We won't even die because we have already died, been buried and now are risen from the death of sin and have a new life in Christ here on earth, and the hope of eternal life in heaven after we pass from here to His throne. I don't care if you think that it's a "small issue," you are allowed to call on your Savior for ANYTHING! Even if you are praying "Dear Lord, please help me, the pancakes on the menu look ah-maaayyy-zing!" Okay, I got that out! Basically, I just want you to know, that if you are struggling with food or anything else, call on the One who can help you. 

Ok, back to the eats! You can basically program your body to do anything you want it to. You can unintentionally program it to store tons of fat, or you can intentionally make it a calorie burning and muscle building machine. I hear people talk about genetics all the time, "it's in my genes, my mom was fat." Here is my Bananas on that: you can't naturally change the color of your eyes, the shape of your nose, your height etc... however, you can naturally change the way your body metabolizes food. I really like to think of my body as a computer, all I have to do is download the right program(food) to make it do what I want it to (burn fat). Eating the right foods will program your body to burn calories, even when you are sleeping!
When I made the decision to make losing weight and getting in shape my mission, I started doing a lot of reading and research on line, books and magazines. It can be pretty overwhelming because there are so many people out there with the "secret to losing weight." What I found for my self was that there isn't a secret. In fact, most of us have been taught what to eat from a very young age. We know what to eat, we just want to instantly erase the results of eating the wrong things. Well too bad sweet cheeks, there is no instant fix to months or years of eating bad. The good news is, with hard work, dedication and self control you can get to a healthier skinnier you! 

I have to put a disclaimer here that, as I stated before, I came up with this so called plan after lots of reading and research. So not all these ideas are mine originally. I wish I could site all the websites I looked at over a year ago, but I can't. But I'm just letting everyone know that I'm not the genius that came up with these, I'm just the girl who merged them all together for my personal plan.</sup> 

^{So here is the non-secret food plan:}

<sup>First there is a rule I try to eat by: for each major meal of the day (breakfast, lunch and dinner) my portion is only as big as my fist. I was very strict about this in the beginning, and I really believe in it. So I want you to make a fist, go ahead make a fist,... okay look at that! Not very big is it? Well that's the amount of food you should be putting in your belly if you are over weight. Your body doesn't need any more than that. At first this might seem difficult, you might feel "hungry" still after the first day of eating like this, but I promise you aren't starving! I suggest eating three fist full meals a day and three snacks a day. 
Just as an example, a fist-full breakfast for a normal woman's sized hands (I have what I joke around to be man hands, but that's my normal k?) is: two eggs (exclude the yolk), and a spoon full of peanut butter. That's it, that's about a fist full and that's all I need in the morning. Then two hours later I will have a snack like low fat yogurt, or another egg. 

Second rule I try to eat by: I don't eat after 5pm. I got this off of Extreme Makeover Weight-Loss Edition. I had heard it before, but the trainer on there was so passionate about it I started doing it last spring, and all I can say is I believe it worked! 


Now I'm just going to list some of the main foods I ate in the beginning of my weight loss journey, and that are still the staples of my diet. You can ask people that know me (my bff Candace, my hubby Josh) how strict I was about only eating these foods, especially in the beginning I was pretty much a Nazi about it. But when I decide something, I do it.. so yeah!

Eat lots of protein! In the morning (after you work out) eat straight up protein, in the beginning I suggest eating protein only for breakfast. But make sure that everyday out of all the things you eat, you are eating protein the most. Like:</sup>

• ^{Eggs - Do egg whites if I can. I boil three or four eggs and eat them throughout the day. When you boil them it's easy to separate the white from the yolk. The yolk is rumored to have cholesterol and other stuff I don't want or need, so it's best to just stick with the whites. It's so easy and simple and you know you are getting pure protein. If the thought of boiling an egg and eating it sounds disgusting to you, then scramble it or whatever.}  
• ^{Turkey- Turkey burgers are really actually tasty, you can make them on a skillet in 17 minutes and eat them with a tad of ketchup or mustard (mustard has virtually no calories and is basically sodium, but not a LOT of sodium, so dipping your meat in a table spoon of mustard wont hurt ya I promise).  Eat ground turkey instead of ground beef, it's a leaner meat, and it tastes almost the same.  Turkey bacon, turkey sausage, they have it all.} 
• ^{When choosing between beef or pork, I try to go with beef. It is my belief that beef, good beef is less fatty than pork. The Hebrew National 97% Fat Free (don't worry too much about fat free, I will get more into that later) are pretty tasty.}

• ^{Don't fall for the protein bars, they have little protein compared to all the other crap in them} 
• ^Salmon 
• ^Tuna

 <sup>Eat spinach. I use spinach instead of lettuce or pretty much all the other things I would eat that are green. So when I eat a salad,  I make it a spinach salad, when I  make a taco I use spinach, when I make a (turkey) burger use spinach, ok I think you get the idea here. 


 Diet Green tea. Google the benefits of green tea if you are curious or don't believe me, but I'm telling you, if you drink a glass of diet green tea a day, it will help speed up the weight loss process.  

 Water, water, water and more water. Drink water all day long! I didn't drink anything but lots of water and diet green tea. Water helps hydrate you, energies you AND it keeps you full! Drink one or two glasses before a meal and you won't want to eat as much. Drink ice cold water and your body will burn calories digesting it... say what? oh yeah, that's what I said, your body will burn calories digesting cold water. Pretty cool huh? 


Veggies. Eat your veggies raw. Eat normal portions, but out of all the things you eat, protein and veggies are kinda like a free for all. Baby carrots are great for moms on the go.


Eat peppers, like red, yellow, green and orange peppers. The spicy ones really can help with revving up your metabolism, but if you don't like hot and spicy, the ones that are big and not hot (that usually come in a package of three) are good too. 


You don't want to eat a lot of fruit. If you want something sweet eat half a banana or apple, but try to keep it a small serving. Tomatoes are good for a fruit source as well.


 The deal with carbs and bread: In the beginning, if you are really trying to lose fat, I suggest, and what I did was for the first month I didn't eat ANY carbohydrates that came from wheat or any bread form, or any white carbohydrates. So no white bread obviously, no bread at all the first month. You can get your energy and carbohydrates from black beans, veggies and the small amount of fruit. After the first month I introduced whole gran wheat bread and oat meal. When I eat carbs I try to make them complex carbs.</sup>

• ^{The White Rule -stay away from white foods (so racist I know) - So no foods like:}
• ^{White bread, or white flour. So no fried chicken.}
• ^{White Rice}
• ^Potatoes
• ^Milk
• ^{Cream in your coffee}
• ^{Etc... ice cream yada yada.} 

<sup>Here is another thing. Granola and cereal type things are not good to eat when trying to lose fat weight. They have a lot of non-complex carbohydrates, knowing this I don't eat cereal anymore. I sometimes eat oat meal, but truly, for me the best way to start my day is with a high protein breakfast.  

Worry less about "fat free" and more about carbohydrates. Did you know that carbohydrates are sugar? What I have come to believe is that non fat this and not fat that, that's not the issue. I'm not saying you should chow down on a pound of lard while guzzling whole milk. What I  wonder  is, why now, now that we have all these fat free options, now there are more obese people than ever before?  You see these huge people, poor enslaved people, on these TLC reality shows that are three hundred pounds, spreading fat free mayo all over their sub sandwiches. What I think (and I'm going to really try to keep this short)  is that the problems are portions and carbohydrate/sugars that aren't being used. When you eat three pieces of pizza, or lots of chips for instance, and then you don't burn or use those, your body, (being the survival specialist that it is) stores them for later, by turning them into fat. You might already know all this, but I'm just saying that don't be so worried about fat, be more concerned about the amount of carbohydrates and sugars you are putting in your body. You want to make your body use the fat you already have stored. 


That leads me to cheat days. You may have heard of cheat days or splurge days. There are pros and cons to them, but I totally had one, and still do! I think that if you are a grown woman, wife and mother, you are responsible enough to have a cheat day for crying out loud. Having a cheat day can fire up your metabolism by boosting your leptin levels that have been lower from eating so healthy and working out. It's okay if you don't know what leptin is, it's just the hormone that can cause your body to store and keep fat in savings when it's low. Basically you don't want your body to go into survival mode, so giving it a high calorie day lets your body know, "ok, we can burn what we have in savings because food is obviously everywhere and not in shortage."</sup> 

• ^{The Cheat Rules}
• ^{Only ONE day a week}
• ^{don't go over board, don't eat a whole pizza, but if you have been craving pizza all week, order one and have a few slices.}  
• ^{this is your day to get frozen yogurt with the kids and hubby, or eat some brownies, whatever.} 
• ^{You can eat your white foods, just be reasonable about your portions.} 

<sup>My in-laws probably think I'm a real pig, because Sunday is usually my cheat day, and that's when we visit with them. At church I will eat a cookie or even a doughnut. When we go over to my husband's parent's house I eat everything on my plate. For example, we got subway last Sunday and I ate the whole 12 inch sub along with my chips. I have never really explained my cheat day system to them, so they probably think I'm just a good ol' southern girl that knows how to eat, they might even be a little grossed out... I should probably let them know huh? Well anyway, that's how the cheat day goes for me. And usually when I get to my cheat day, and I order or prepare my "bad" food, I don't want to eat that much, or at least as much as I thought I was going to. It gives me something to look forward to, I'm a gal that likes rewards, so it works for me and it might work for you. Again, just don't go over board, think of it as a "little treat," not a day at the fair.

Sodium is a bad guy! I try really hard to stay away from sodium/salty stuff. The reason is it totally makes me feel, and I swear, despite what my loving husband says, look bloated! It slows me down too. If I eat too much salsa and chips, for example, the next day when I run and work out I am a dead weight! So I'm not an expert on the science of why sodium is bad, I just know I don't want to eat something that's gonna get in the way of me having a rock'n booty, ya feel me? 


Titus 2:3 - Likewise, teach the older woman to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. 
Now don't get your panties all up in a wad ladies! Relax, I'm not taking your precious wine away. Just from my personal experience, drinking too much alcohol makes me drag butt the next day. Same as with the sodium, if I'm on a mission to get in shape and lose weight, why would I do something to my self that's going to slow me down or counter act my hard efforts? Also, for me, it's hard to only have one glass. So just be cautious! And just to scare you into submission: Did you know that</sup>  For every ONE drink (1 shot, 1 glass of wine or 1 12-ounce beer), it STOPS fat loss for one hour. If you eat during that time, you are gaining fat. This might help you be more conscious of how much you drink and what you eat during or after (no one craves veggies after drinking). http://www.facebook.com/UndergroundFitnessRevolution





<sup>Buwahahahahah! (lighting strikes, woman screams in the distance)... yeah I know, I am almost evil for telling you that aren't I?





Here is another verse that I think is funny but true. "If you find honey, eat just enough - too much of it, and you will vomit." haha! So yeah, don't go over board on the sweets obviously. I love carrot cake, ate it like a champ when I was pregnant, but now when I try to get after it, I end up sick and on the toilet. Not worth it! I'm not saying I don't do it, but I don't do it near as much as I used to. ;)  


I feel like I rambled a little so I'm going to sum it up as best as I can. Eat small portions, don't eat after five, eat lots of protein and veggies, stay away from simple carbs, drink lots of water, and have fun on your cheat day! Also, just know that you don't have to be perfect, you won't be, its impossible. Try to be, but just understand that if you are eating well the majority of the week or days or meals, and you mess up, it's ok! If you are really running and working out, it's not gonna put you back any, it just wont put you forward any. Usually I say if you aren't going forward you are going backward, which I stand behind, but don't give up if a snickers bar has it's way with you on Sunday night while watching Desperate Housewives (obviously speaking from personal experience!). Don't give up, you can do this. If you fall off the wagon, get back on it again! I'm here for you, for anyone that is actually reading this weak sauce blog, I'm here to encourage, pray for and help you any way that I can!  I was there, look ,</sup>

<sup>look how wide my hips and stomach are! Look at my arms and full puffy face! Haha! 












But now look at this goofy picture my husband took, and I know it's laughable, but I'm so happy and feel so much better! 55 lbs later and counting!</sup>

Anna's Bananas on WORKING OUT

Ah the blessed workout routine. I could really talk all day long about all the different ways and techniques I have when it comes to working out, but we don't have all day here so I will try to make it to the point and more general. Again I want to stress that I'm not a workout or fitness guru, I'm just a wife and a mom that likes to work out, and did so to get rid of the baby fat. So if you are a mommy and are looking for some easy tips and info, keep reading.

 Remember that working your body out and getting in shape isn't about being vain. The lord calls us to be excellent. This is about you being healthy and happy, and the best possible you while you are here on earth. Being healthy and fit is a good witness, it's a way of loving the Lord by taking care of the body He gave you, loving your spouse, and loving your children.  

First I want to talk a little about running and working out. My fitness routine changed gradually as I made more and more progress. In the very beginning I tried to run and work out everyday. That didn't always happen because of my daughter or husband's schedule, but I made a good effort to.  Best case scenario was work out and run 5 days a week, just in the beginning. When I first was able to start (after the six week waiting period after the birth of my daughter) I wanted to "jump start" my metabolism. Now I run and work out three times a week, Monday, Wednesday, Friday. I try to schedule an hour and a half to run and work out. My running, depending how far I run that day, takes anywhere between 40 to 60 minutes. Then the rest is working out. If you have a selected day to just work out, you still need to run, you have to get that heart rate up before you start doing anything else, ok? So run at least 1 mile before you get on the floor.
I think it's really important for us gals to get to the gym, or work out at home. Running, zumba, yoga (don't get me started on yoga), swimming, whatever you do; all that stuff is great, however, in my humble opinion, nothing beats sweating it out with an old fashioned kick your butt workout.

Speaking of your butt... work out the largest muscles you have. Your butt, back and thighs, calves, hamstrings/legs. Your goal in losing the baby weight is to burn as much fat and calories as you can in a day/week. You want to get the most amount of bang for your buck, buck kicking workout that is ;) Working out your big muscles with a mix of free weight cardio and using machines if you can, will get you more calorie burning time long after you have ended your workout. Yes, in case you didn't know, you burn calories all day long, and the harder you work out during your workout, the more you will burn throughout the day. If you are like me, your thighs and butt are nice and... how should we say? thick, heh, and your heart has to pump harder when you are working them out, therefor you burn more calories. Why am I repeating myself? Because I know what you are thinking! Yes you! I know what that little snotty voice is saying in that beautiful head of yours; its saying "blah blah Anna Banana, squats, lunges, I've heard it all before!." Well, the reason you have heard it all before on those workout videos you bought that are collecting dust, or from a friend, or from a magazine in the check out line, is because it's TRUE! Squats and lunges have so many benefits, and will kick start your metabolism, I promise! There is just one little problem isn't there? They are hard, and they take a lot of energy, and it burns! They are totally worth the burn, believe me!

Well again, if you are like me, sometimes it helps to know "how it works." I like to know the process of things sometimes, i.e. the reason for the burn/pain. That way, while I'm burning I can reassure myself it's working and worth it. And I do, and it is, and now I LOVE the burn!
First lets pay some homage to the rear! Your butt is made up of three muscles that all form that lovely lady lump in the back. You have the gluteus maximus, gluteus medius and gluteus minimus. We are all pretty familiar with the maximus, that's the biggest of the three and it kind of covers the other two. But don't go ignoring the other two, they contribute their fair share to the roundness, tightness and poky-outyness.

So why am I showing you this lovely picture above? Because I want you to see that just doing one kind of movement, isn't gonna get you the butt you want. You want to exercise ALL of the butt, and all of the thigh, and all of the hamstring, and all of the calf. Why? Because it will burn more calories and get you a pretty booty faster!  Pretty booty! Exercises that focus on your behind, hamstring, lower back and thighs are going to help reduce the cottage cheese situation. I'm pretty sure you and your husband or partner want your buns WITHOUT the jelly.
Try to pick exercises that will work out all of your rear. Use free weights (again it burns more calories that way), machines, and switch it up from day to day, don't do the same three exercises everyday. Granted, if you are going from not working out at all, and all you know is three different moves, then go on wich ya bad self! But after a while you will need to make an effort to learn more moves.
So where oh where do you find new moves? There is this thing called the internet, don't ask me how it works, but you are actually using it right now! google and youtube are great for finding new exercises. Fitness mags, fitness shows, classes, oh and, me, read my blog, call me up, come over, and I will learn ya some sweet moves girl!

So remember the burn? Real quick I just want to give you an explanation so you know why I love and crave that sensation like a fat kid loves cake. Well I love cake too, but, you know, that's the fat kid inside of me that you can't see anymore because I love the burn too. So the burn is lactic acid being released in your muscles, now I wont go into great detail here, but what you need to know is that lactic acid is good, that burning means that your muscles are working, being broken down so they can be built back up hard and firm, and best of all.. drum roll please, the burn really truly means that your body is burning carbs, calories and. FAT! So the burn is good, make it burn as much and as long as you can. When your booty is on fire after 50 squats, just remind your self that this is maybe 5 minutes of pain for the amazing butt you will gain. Yes, did you really think I could write about working out without throwing in "no pain no gain"? Come on!
Ok so I think we should get to a quick (as you can see I use the term "quick" loosely) tip list.

Anna's Banana Tips for Working Out:

1) Work out through out the day. Wait what? Didn't I just blab on about getting in the gym and using free weights and machines? Yes, yes I did. But also, try to work-in a work-out through-out the day. Here are some ideas:

• Place dumbbell weights in common walk through or high traffic area of your home. For me it's the counter in our kitchen. Mine are bright pink and are pretty hard to miss. When I'm boiling eggs, or waiting for something in the microwave, or my daughter is smearing banana all over her high-chair trey, I grab those weights and I do some squats, work out my shoulders or biceps, or maybe some weird combo of the two. I might only be able to get in 20 reps, but I do that a handful or more times a day. And it pays off. 
• This is going to sound a little obsessive compulsive to some of you, but hey, whatever; do squats, plies or releves while blow drying your hair.
• You have probably heard this before too, but here it is again because it's true. When you go to the store, don't worry about getting the best spot, park far enough to make you work a little on your way in and out. Use the stairs at work, or wherever the day brings you. 
• Moms, PLEASE play with your kids! Playing with them is bonding time for you and them, and burning cal time for you and your booty.
• This one my brother Joel thought was funny, but he ended up doing it. Squeeze your butt muscles while driving... (I'm giving you a pause here so you can laugh at me). Yes, squeeze your butt muscles right now if you are sitting while reading this, squeeze hard, as hard as you CAN! Hold it for five counts, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and release, 2,3,4 now squeeze again for five counts... you get the idea. If you keep doing that for the rest of the time it takes you to read this post, I assure you, you will feel a burn. Bizarre? Maybe. Effective? Absolutely!        

I have many other ideas on that, I will put them in future posts. 

2) Use free weights and machines.

3) If you aren't sweating, you aren't doing anything worth doing. Get sweaty!

4) Go for reps, not so much sets or heavy weights. I could write a whole post about why and what I mean by this, and maybe I will in the future. Butt (wink wink, nudge nudge), here is the short hand (again short hand is a relative term here): If you are reading this you are probably a woman, either that or a soft pudgy man. Women want: long lean muscles, to burn fat, and are NOT trying to look like Arnold Swarchenegger (before the moob fiasco). Also, if you are just getting back into working out, or getting into it for the first time ever, you have no idea what your limit is, or how many sets are enough, and you definitely don't want to injure yourself. With the weights, go small, for now. With the reps, go high high high, do as many as you can till it burns so much you feel like your butt, arms, back, thighs or whatever are going to fall off. With the sets, just start out with at least two, and then build them up over time. Let me give you an example:  Lets say you are doing squats while holding two 5 pound weights, one in each hand. Do as many as you can, nice and slow, strong and with good form. Lets say you do 25 squats, good job! Now do that at least one more time before your work out is over. Next week do it three times each time you work out, and the week after do it four times and so on. After about a month add more weight. This approach will give you long lean muscles and it burns more calories.

5) Squats squats squats and more squats, and lunges WITH free weights.


6) Alternate muscles. So do those 25 squats with the free weights, and then work out your back, and then work out your hamstrings, and then go back to the squats.

Well I think that's all I'm gonna leak for now. My next entry will be about food and what to eat to lose! mmm! Bye for now!

http://www.military.com/military-fitness/workouts/burn-more-calories

http://fitnessblackbook.com/interval-training/how-interval-training-works-lactic-acid-oxygen-debt-and-recovery/

Anna's Banana's on RUNNING

IF YOU WANT TO SPARE YOURSELF THE RISK OF BEING BORED, JUST READ THE PINK INK ;)

I haven't run a marathon yet, and I'm not an expert on running by any means, this is just information I have gathered from my own research study and personal experience. This is just the story of how one mommy used running as one of the ways to get rid of the belly.
Honestly I get asked a lot now, the same kind of question; "how did you lose the baby weight?", "running is how you lost the weight? All you did was run?", or the one I that bothers me a little "you didn't gain much weight when you were pregnant, did ya?" The reason this bothers me is because I DID gain a lot of weight! I'm not proud of the nasty weight I gained, however, I am proud and thankful for the hard work that paid off in losing the nasty weight, ya feel me? Now I LOVE the comments like "you look great", "you don't even look like you have had a kid," keep those acome'n, I will take those all day long sister! Running isn't all I did, I dieted, I worked out, I prayed, and I ran.

So RUNNING? I love running, I love it so much, it's part of my life routine. And I hope it will be till I can't walk anymore, till I die or till Jesus comes back. Running for me is a huge release, it is my ME time, it allows me to dump out all the random thoughts in my head, so that the Lord's Spirit has a fresh canvas to work with for the day. There are scientific explanations why running and all other forms of exercise make you feel good and can become a habit or almost addicting. Endorphins (I'm sure you have heard about these guys in your brain) are produced when you run/exercise. "Endorphins are the brain’s naturally occurring opiates and are related to decreased pain perception and an increased sense of well-being." - http://sportsmedicine.about.com/od/anatomyandphysiology/qt/Runners-High.htm. Oh yeah! "Runner's High" is a real thing, and it's awesome. I am an endorphin fan, a fan of endorphins fo sho!

So now that I got you all pumped about running, how did I start running, and how should you start running if you are interested? Well I have to be honest, I didn't always like running. From the time I was a young girl I was a ballet dancer, I danced for a good 13 years. I also did gymnastics, a little soccer and a little volley ball. Running, just running, seemed really boring to me most of my life. And it was hard, took a lot of stamina. I have ADD, so just doing one motion for an hour, when I could dance, kick a ball or do a backhand spring, seemed really lame in my younger years. As I got older around 17 I started to really enjoy working out at the gym. I saw the gym at the community college I went to as an adult playground/jungle gym. I wanted to learn how to use every machine that I could, and master it. Ok, I'm getting off track here... How did I get started running on the reg?

The first 15k I did before I had my daughter (before I got fat)

I have to give my husband credit here, because now that I think about it, he is the one that really inspired me at first. Him and his dad did a 15k the first year of our marriage, I didn't do it, there for (the competitiveness flared) I decided the next year I would do the same run. So I did, with a friend of mine Lydia, from back in the day who ran track in high school. I did horrible, it took me like two and a half hours to finish! I was unknowingly pregnant at the time, but still, that's a really slow pace! Shortly after that 15k, I found out I was pregnant, and soon I wasn't doing any physical activity that I didn't absolutely have to do. I went to work, came home, ate lots of food and went to sleep. Anyone who has been pregnant knows what I'm talking about, you are just super tired ALL the TIME! So I got fat.

This is a good picture, you can't see the true size of my belly because I'm really sucking it in, and I'm doing my classic lean to the side and poke my hip out move to make me look longer.

Then after I had my beautiful daughter, I realized how fat I was and was determined to lose the weight. My best friend Candace and I were hanging out at the beginning of 2011, just a few months after I had delivered my baby girl, and she expressed to me that she wanted to tone up and get a booty. She asked me for advice on the booty deal because she admired mine, my pre-baby booty, NOT the post baby booty. I did have a lot of knowledge about working out and how to gain muscle weight just from personal experience, so we agreed to become workout/running partners. Having a running partner is key to your success in becoming a runner and losing weight. I will talk more about this later. Candace and her dad had wanted to do that same 15k I had done the year before, and it was about two months away. So that became our goal. Having a goal, and event to work towards is also vital in becoming a successful runner and loser of fat.

Candace, her dad Arty, and me at our very first 5k!

We ended up changing our goal to just doing the 5k because that's where we were at, we were just beginners, and again I was pretty heavy for my frame. I needed to lose 50lbs to get to pre-baby weight. You might be looking at these pics and thinking "fifty pounds? She is exaggerating." But I'm telling you the truth! I was 168lbs after I had my daughter, my pre-pregnancy weight was 120lbs. I carry my weight in my butt and thighs, God bless my mom. My thighs are the only place I have stretch marks. We had to be realistic and flexible about our goal, so we put our hearts, minds and bodies on finishing the 5k the best we could. You have to be realistic about your goals, otherwise you will get discouraged. I will talk more about this in a future post as well. So we did it, we did the 5k, we finished well, and there was the beginning of my soon to become addiction and love of running! Hallelujah!

Since then I have finished eight runs. Most of them 5ks, one 8k, one 10k, and two 15ks. I now run three times a week and run at least four miles each time. I average 15miles a week. And I can honestly say that three miles now feels like one mile did a year ago.  I'm not trying to brag here, I just want you ladies out there that are reading this to know it's possible! You can become a runner!

Most recent run, that same old 15k, but this time I did it in 1 hour and 37 min! Praise the Lord!

This is me a month ago, 55lbs smaller than I was when I first started running. (More about my weight loss process in future posts)

Here are some steps/rules to running: (keep in mind, these rules should be used when using running as a way to lose weight, this isn't for Olympic champion runners obviously)
First remember to devote everything you do to the Lord, pray for wisdom, strength, energy and stamina. Pray that He will help you to have the ability to meet your goals, and give Him the glory when He answers your prayer. He is the one that gave you those legs, He is the one that gave you your lungs and heart, and He is the one that will allow you to become a dedicated runner and loser of fat!  "do it all for the glory of God." - 1 Corinthians 10:31b

1) Have a partner if you can.

2) Have (realistic) a goal

3) Run 3 to 5 times a week

4) Start small to get small. What I mean by this is, if you just had a baby you aren't going to be able to move like your old high school skinny self. Your legs are heavier, you have more fluid (gross) in your body (especially if you are breastfeeding). When you get on that treadmill the first time, don't be discouraged about the fact that you feel winded after five minutes of running. It takes time to get a good consistent pace.
5) Thank God for friends and interval training! Candace, my beloved running partner, had informed me that interval training is the best way to lose weight and build your endurance as a runner (per her dad). She told me it's what Jennifer Aniston did, so with that I was sold. Run in intervals when you first start out. Run 5 minutes then walk for two, run again for 5 min and then walk for two. You can pick the length and pace of your intervals, just keep your heart rate above rest for an hour total. Try to extend the time of running and shorten the time of walking every week, or even day by day if you can. Eventually you will be able to run a full hour without walking. Interval training burns a lot of calories because your heart has to work hard to "pump it up" when you go from quick walking to running. After a while you will find that you genuinely don't want to slow down to walk because it's going to take more work to get back up to your running pace, so you are actually more inclined to keep running.
6) Stretch a little before and a lot after. I think most people already know this.
7) Learn to control your breathing.  This is so important, I maybe should have listed it as number one. Learning how to control your breathing while running can change your outlook on running completely. I was taught how to control my breathing when I was a kid, either in dance or gymnastics, so I don't remember who taught me but I am so glad they did. I taught my friend Candace how to control her breathing and it helped her a lot! When you start your warm up walk, try to breath in through your nose and see how many steps you take while you are inhaling. Then, slowly exhale through your mouth or nose, and try to get it all out in the same amount of counts/steps that you inhaled it. When you run do the same thing. A light jog for me is a four step breather, so it goes like this: I'm inhaling for four steps and I count along in my head to the steps (1,2,3,4) and then I exhale for four steps again (1,2,3,4). Soon, after a little practice, this controlled breathing will become second hand to you. I still count sometimes, but it's more to keep my rhythm and pace. I don't always use numbers "1,2,3,4" either, I say things in my head to the pace of my feat like, "five, more, min, utes" or "five, more, mi, les" or "you, can, do, this." This may sound crazy to you.... yeah.  
8) Remember it's 10% physical and 90% mental!  I told this to Candace one day when we first started working out together and it was a hit with her. It's really true though, you can do it, don't listen to your whiny body. And if you have had a baby (vaginally) you know you can get through loads of pain and still survive, so just assign your mind to be master over your body. Your body will obey.
9) Eat after you run. So I might get some flack for this, but again keep in mind I'm talking to people that want to lose fat-weight. I'm going to go over all my diet and nutrition stuff in a future post, but for now hear me out. If you are trying to lose fat, run in the morning before you have breakfast. This is just in the first month or two of your weight loss journey. Later you wont want to do that because you can lose muscle mass too, but right now we are focusing on the large parts of fat that are surrounding the hot sexy muscles underneath. Your body uses the same amount of fat when you work out no matter what. You can't tell your body to burn fat only on your hips, or only on your thighs, or only on your belly. But I believe you can encourage your body to burn the fat that's in it's savings account if you hold off on making a deposit till after the run. This approach is a little controversial, but it's what I did and it worked. Some people find it hard to get moving in the morning without food, if your one of those people... ehhh, I don't know what to tell you. I can tell you that working out gives me more energy than sitting at the table or on the couch drinking coffee and eating cereal.
10) Get some runn'n shoes girl fran! Here is a good excuse to go shoe shopping. If you plan on taking running and losing weight seriously you need to get your self some good running shoes. They don't have to be super expensive, or the newest model. Just get a good brand at a discounted price at a place like DSW. I like Nike, but get what feels good and supportive and light to you.

So there you have Anna's Bananas on running. My next post will be about working out for fat loss, and the one after that will be all about what to eat. I hope whoever reads this will benefit from it, even if it's just by getting a giggle out of reading parts of it.

Subjects that interest me
Jesus
Heaven and Hell
Aliens
Diet and Exercise - love reading fitness and nutrition mags and blogs
Love
Personality and Psychology

Here are some books that I am either reading or just finished recently:
Finished and liked
1 Crazy Love by Francis Chan
2 Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo
3 Making Money from Home: How to Run a Successful Home-Based Business by Donna Partow
4 The Truth Twisters by Harold J. Berry
5 Bringing Up Girls by Dr. James Dobson
6 the First Five Years of Marriage - Focus on the Family

Currently Juggle Reading (you know what juggle reading is don't you?)
1 One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp
2 Hans Andersen's Fairy Tales (Puffin Classics) translated by Naomi Lewis
3 Simple Church by Thom S. Rainer & Eric Geiger
4 A History of US Making Thirteen Colonies by Joy Hakim
5 A History of US Liberty for All? by Joy Hakim
6 America's Providential History by Mark A Beliles & Stephen K. McDowell
7 The Myth of Separation by David Barton
8 Love Dare by Kendrick 

One's ima Get To 
1 Wild at Heart by John Eldredge (yes the one for guys)
2 Soul Cravings by McManus
3 The Ministry of Motherhood by Clarkson 

Hello there, hello to the other human that is reading my words this very moment. Some people that know me might think it's odd that I haven't started a blog before. They may find it odd because most people that know me, know I like to talk. My filter, the poor one I have, doesn't always get used; however the Lord is working on that in me. In the past I have been tempted to start a blog. The reason I equate that urge with temptation, is because I think in the past it was when I wanted to get on my soap box. I never wanted to start one because I didn't want people to think I am conceited or prideful, (which I am very much conceited and full of self pride, we all are) like I have this whole life thing figured out, and anyone who has the blessing of getting to read my words will be better off... Also, I am competitive, and a little perfectionist when it comes to some things, so I really don't want what I write to be public unless I approve it as being awesome.
But here is the deal: I have come to the realization that what God the Father has done, through the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ, in my life, and in my family's life, is too big, too amazing, too miraculous to keep to myself. There is a whole world of communication via facebook, blogs etc... why not take advantage?

Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners - of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen. - 1 Timothy 1:15-17

I try to pray everyday for opportunities to tell other people about all the great things Christ has done in my life, and He is faithful, as always, to answer my prayers. I feel that this blog is just another opportunity to connect and share with others. If it's the Lord's will, people will read it and it will be a light somehow, if it's not, then I won't continue; but I'm gonna give it a shot. Even if only one person is encouraged or inspired to seek the true Love of Jesus Christ, than I think it's totally worth it.

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. - 2 Corinthians 1:3-5

Here are a few warnings: I am notorious for run-on sentences, being random, and having bad grammar and spelling in general. So I just wanted to get that disclaimer out there before I begin this word journey.
What to expect: Just plain old thoughts and testimonials about my life as a servant of Jesus Christ, a wife and a mom.

Over all, I just want to connect with other people, share the story that has been graciously given to me, and have fun!