Destination....STP (Seattle to Portland Bike Ride)

Thanks to Aunt Jeannie, I went out on my first honest to good real outdoor bike ride, as part of my training. It is not easy!!! I need to drop a good 20 pounds before this ride. The less mass that I have to push on those pedals the better!!!!!!

The STP is a 2-day 200 mile ride. Some crazies do it in one day. I would like to opt for the 4-day version.

So, my stats for my first time out:
Distance: 10.295 miles (Although the markings told me that I went 11 miles)
Time: 45:20
Avg Speed: 13.6 mph

My speedometer thinks that my tires are 24 inches, when they are actually 25 inches. There was no 25 inch option. I am not sure how this affects the calculations. That would take more brainpower than I possess. So, if you figure it out, let me know!!!!

STP or BUST!!!!!!

Thoughtful Thursday....Intentions

As I took Rally for his early morning walk, I asked myself, 'Self...what have you been thinking about this week?" And while I haven't been thinking about it all week, last night at church got me thinking about intentions....
I have been attending the Love & Respect class on Wednesday nights. I read this book years ago. I hated it. I still hate it. It asks us to do things that do not come naturally to us. I get that it is for our greater good, but I hate it.
BUT...I know that it is all true, and it is really good stuff.
Anyway.......the foundation of the class is:

Ephesians 5:33
However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

Husbands are to love their wives and wives are to respect their husbands. Not as easy as it sounds! But it is mandated by God.

Another big idea that is taught in the class is to give one another the benefit of the doubt. Don't assume that your spouse means what you think they mean. When your spouse says something to you that you find offensive or hurtful, give them the benefit of the doubt that they did not mean for their words to be taken in the way that you receive them.  Hard work!!!!!

Let's face it...most arguments/disagreements/deep discussions/divorce? are caused due to misunderstanding. Communication is not the key...understanding is! We can talk and communicate until we are blue in the face, but if we do not understand one another, it is useless.(just a note: I suck at this! I am writing this for myself. I am probably the only one reading this that needs to hear it.

So, how do we do this? I DON'T KNOW!!!!!!!!!!
Maybe, we could purpose to not react to one another's words until we are clear on what is being said and why.

Here is my example that I shared in class last night
(I don't usually like to share in class, but as I was sitting there and different people were speaking, it sounded to me like they all have perfect marriages and don't need to be in a marriage class. So I wanted to speak for those of us that do struggle.)

When I feel that Jeremy is being too hard on one of the boys, I usually give him a "look" that is meant for only him to see.

My intention in this "look" is for Jeremy to step back and think about what he is doing and hopefully, back off realizing that he is going overboard. The heart behind that intention is that I want Jeremy and his sons to develop and grow a rich, meaningful, lasting relationship. When I see one of the boys shut down and internalize his anger, I see that relationship being torn down rather than built up. I also know that when you get caught up into the cyle of the battle-of-the wills, it is hard to draw yourself out without some external interruption.

When Jeremy sees my "look" he reacts as though I have completely undermined who he is as a parent. From what I am learning, I assume that he feels disrespected. And he reacts accordingly. Which usually ends up with us not talking for a period of time.

So, I need to find a way to let my heart and intentions be known and, in this case, Jeremy needs to not assume that I am undermining his authority.
Am I wrong? Are we the only ones?

Truth Tuesday....Being a Mom

Having kids is…….so many things….
My friend, Rebecca and I often joke that if someone had told us how stressful having kids would be, we would have just chosen to have dogs instead. But, nobody informed us. We also know that if we didn’t have kids, we would be yearning to do so.

Like any mom, when I gave birth to my first son, I was overwhelmed with the love that I felt. I did not know that this level of love even existed. It hadn’t yet, in me. Having a child really is like having your heart walk around on its own. It is an indescribable love. You cannot know it, unless you are a mother. I believe that a mother having a child by adoption feels the same love.

So, when your child is a baby (if they are healthy) it is the most wonderful time. Getting to know this new little person that you just met, but love more than anyone else. If they have medical problems and as the healthy ones grow, it gets scary. What if something happens to them? What if this child is taken from you? What would you do? How would you survive having had this love and lost?

A mother’s love is scary and yet wonderful and beautiful and empowering. Crazy!

My kids make me insane! If you know me at all, this is no surprise. I like to be in control. I like to know exactly what is going to happen. What the outcome will be. Having kids does not fit my picture-perfect fantasy. What if they turn their backs on Christ? What if they choose a lifestyle that I don’t approve of? What if they make really horrible choices? What if they decide that they hate me and never want to see me again after they graduate? Ugh!!!! Any of those things would devastate me.
Although, none of those things would make me love my child any less. It would hurt. I have watched this happen to mothers that I love. It hurts.
I don’t know. I think that I may have preferred to be ignorant of this level of love. That would have been much safer.
I am praying that my kids will grow to be adults that love God and want to walk in His will and plan for their lives. Will they fail? Of course. I do all the time.
But, I know that as much as I love my kids, my God loves them and me, even more. That is a love that I cannot comprehend.
I am guessing that in the end, the good times will outweigh the bad. And maybe I will not remember all of the bad as my boys grow up. My heart’s desire is to have a deep and personal and real relationship with them as they grow and as they go out into the world to make their way. That would make my heart happy.
And in the end…it will all be worth it. Sometimes God gives me little glimpses that makes me think that it is.

Mmmmmmm.. Monday..........

Artisan Bread

What you need:
6+ Cups Flour
1.5 TBP Kosher Salt
1.5 TBP Dry Active Yeast
Corn Meal
3 Cups Water
Cookie Sheet (I use my Pampered Chef Pizza Stone)
Heat Oven to 450 for 30 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine the Yeast and Salt. Pour 3 Cups almost hot water and mix well. Add 6 Cups Flour. Mix well. If the dough is not wet and sticky, add a little more water.

Cover large bowl with a clean dish towel. Let sit for 2 hours.
On baking sheet, sprinkle Corn Meal.
Take out enough dough to make a loaf of bread (this recipe makes 3 loaves.). Form into loaf and place on corn meal cookie sheet.

I usually make a couple of cuts on the top of the loaf, with kitchen scissors and try to make a lattice-type top.
Sprinkle with flour.
Let sit for 40 minutes.
In another oven-safe dish, put some water and put in oven on bottom rack.
Place bread in oven and turn oven down to 375.
Bake for about 35 minutes, or until it is the golden brown that you want it.

Let cool for 15 minutes or so. Cut, butter and serve.

Note:

My family likes it when I make pizza bread with this recipe.
For this, I cut the loaf of bread lengthwise and add pizza sauce, cheese and toppings and place back in oven until the cheese is fully melted.

Enjoy!!!!!!!!!!!!

Truth Tuesday....

There is so much hurt and ugliness in the world. I hate that. Life is not fair. People should not go hungry. Kids should not suffer. People groups should not have to endure torment by others. A mother should not have to say good bye to their child and walk out the door knowing that all that will be left of that child's body is ashes. People should not feel so alone and hopeless that they take their own lives. Kids should feel safe going to school, but not all do. These things hurt my heart. My soul cries out.."NOOOOOO!!! It isn't fair!!!!!!!!"

I don't have an answer to why these things happen. What I hold onto is my hope in Jesus. I believe that the Bible is the infallible and complete Word of God. I have faith (hope in what I cannot see). I cannot see wind. But I can see how the wind blows the leaves all over the place and makes the tree sway back and forth. So I know that wind exists. It is the same way with God. I cannot see him. But I can see how he affects people and lives.

John 16:33, in the Amplified Bible, says:
I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace and confidence. In the world you have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration; but be of good cheer [take courage; be confident, certain, undaunted]! For I have overcome the world. [I have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you.]

Nahum 1:7 says: The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him,

and one of my very favorite verses...

Isaiah 26:3 You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You.

The Bible does not tell us that we will not have any problems when we turn our hearts and lives over to Christ. It tells us that we will experience hardships and turmoil and temptation. BUT...God will be there with us to walk us through these things. He will hold our hand or carry us, if that is what we need. BUT...first we have to put our complete trust in Him. Focus on Him. We have to give our lives to Him, completely and unreservedly.

I do not know how people can go through this life without the hope of eternity with Christ. Without knowing that everything will be made right. That Jesus has overcome sin, death and the grave through his death and resurrection. I would be an alcoholic or a drug addict without that assurance. It is not always easy. But the reward is going to be worth the journey. I just know it!

p.s. One of my favorite websites is http://www.biblegateway.com/ You can look up passages by word searches or if you know the location. You can see the same verse in any translation It is very cool!!!!

Mmmmmmm.. Monday..........

This is THE BEST Tortilla Soup!!!!! I have ordered Tortilla Soup from several restaurants, just to test it out. I have not found any better!!!! I LOVE it!!!!!!! (Oh, and it is from Jennifer James-Rachi...whom you have previously read about. I love her to... If you would like to check out her blogspot, here it is: http://romeojen3girls.blogspot.com/. And her cupcake blog: http://gottalovethecupcakes.blogspot.com/

Crock Pot Tortilla Soup

4 chicken breast halves
1 garlic clove, minced
2 Tbsp. margarine
2-14 1/2 cans chicken broth
2-14 1/2 cans chopped stewed tomatoes
1 cup salsa (which ever you prefer)
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 Tbsp (or more) ground cumin

8-oz Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
sour cream
tortilla chips

1. boil, debone, and shred chicken ( I tend to shred in large pieces)
2. add minced garlic to margarine in hot slow cooker. Saute
3. Combine all ingredients except cheese, sour cream, and chips.
4. Cover. Cook on Low 8-10 hours
5. Put shredded cheese in bowl and cover with soup. Sprinkle with chips and a dollop of sour cream.

Enjoy!!! I wish that I had the time and all of the ingredients to put it in the crockpot right now!!!!!!

Fitness Friday.......

While contemplating which way to go this Friday, I mulled over what “fitness” means. The first definition of “Fitness” on dictionary.com is :
health –noun
1. the general condition of the body or mind with reference to soundness and vigor: good health; poor health.
2. soundness of body or mind; freedom from disease or ailment: to have one's health; to lose one's health.
3. a polite or complimentary wish for a person's health, happiness, etc., esp. as a toast: We drank a health to our guest of honor.
4. vigor; vitality: economic health.

Which perfectly matched what I was thinking. Fitness is not only about your body being “fit” and/or healthy.
There is mental health..spiritual health..physical health..finanical health..relational health..and on and on.

I don’t know about anyone else, but none of these things are easy for me. I know that the key to physical health is resistance. Resistance training involves weights or bands or something that is going to challenge your muscles to work harder than they are accustomed to working. This tears the muscles down so that they can be made stronger.
To be physically fit you need to be able to resist the temptation of food….whether it is quantity that is a struggle or the types of food to which you are attracted. You have to resist.
I struggle with this. You have to be able to keep yourself from doing things that you want (taking a fork to a whole Costco cake) and make yourself do things that you don’t want to do (drag yourself out of bed at the horrendous time of 4:25am to get a bike near a fan for the 5am spin class).
The reward is WONDERFUL. You feel better physically and mentally. You feel stronger, and more in control. You are controlling your body instead of allowing your un-healthy thoughts to control you and keep you where you are sick and tired of being.

Well, I find that this same concept challenges me in all of the other areas of health and fitness also.

I spend money that I don’t have because I really want something that I can’t afford. This is not healthy. I know it is not healthy. It takes the practice of resisting to change your mindset. “If I do not buy this item, do this thing, take this trip that I want so badly right now, it will help me to be able to pay off all of the other things, trips, experiences that I have already thrown away and forgotten about, that are still piled up on my credit card. It will enable me to get to a place that I am able to make a purchase and not regret it when that monthly statement comes.

I KNOW this in my head. I know that the benefit so outweighs the sacrifice. But, when it comes down to telling myself “NO”, I usually give in to the temptation and take the path of least resistance, which only keeps me from growing stronger.

Everything in life worth having, worth being, worth enjoying is a challenge. Things that come too easily do not have much value. How can you truly value something that took no effort?
If someone gave you the car of your dreams would you treat it the same as you would if you had worked for 15 years to save up the money to buy that same car? No! It would have so much more value to you….even though the actual value of the car is the exactly the same.

And then there are relationships. This is another area that the path of least resistance only leads to weakness. Weakening marriages, friendships, parent/child bonds. If we don’t make ourselves do the hard stuff, relationships can wither. Have that hard conversation, say “no” when you need to, deal with the issues as they arise so that you do not wake up one day and realize that the issues have so many caused so many symptoms you don’t even know where to start.

Keeping the house clean. Ugh! The path of least resistance….allowing clutter to build up, laundry piles to grow, dishes accumulate in the sink…leads to a major blow up in our house. But I always seem to go that path! Why can’t I just make myself and my kids, and encourage my husband to get things done at the time so that I don’t have to have a major cleaning session which includes a melt-down and a LOT of yelling and horrible feelings???? WHY???????????



Am I preaching to the choir? I am preaching to myself here! My goal is to be more thoughtful and deliberate regarding the things that I allow myself to do, things that I need to do, what I put in my mouth (and how much of it), needs vs. wants, etc. My focus is going to be, “what is going to help me achieve my fitness/health goals?”.

Is anybody in the same boat? Similar boat? Completely different boat?

I would love to hear your thoughts……….