clean eating

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So remember in January when I set goals for this year? I didn’t post the list on this blog, but one of my half-hearted, kinda-maybe goals was to get my 6-pack back. The reason it’s half-hearted is because on one hand, I’d really love it back. That’s obvious. But on the other hand, the more important hand, I really love food. And I knew that if I were to be serious about that 6-pack it would be majority diet change, seeing how I already workout hard enough to have one if my food intake would match. So, I sat on it for a long time. But I recently decided to take it more seriously, and started by cutting out all sweets (added sugar). THEN, this happened.

One of our trainers at the gym, and dear friend of mine used to compete in fitness shows years back. She is to this day the most ripped female I know personally, and is super lean and healthy (she’s had 3 kids and still has a 6-pack… and would probably kill me for telling you that). :) I was talking to her yesterday about my half-hearted 6-pack goal, and she immediately asked me what I’ve been eating. She then gave me a fast track option, and slower track option, and basically told me that half the things I love I’m not allowed to eat anymore if I take the fast track, haha. But according to this super strict diet and my continued workout routine, I should be ripped in about 3-4 weeks. I can do that, right? :/

Here’s what I’ll be cutting out: red meats, yogurt, nuts, beans, dressings/condiments, starches/carbs that aren’t gluten free (and no carbs for dinner or later), protein bars, cereal, honey, and FRUIT (what, omg omg).

Here’s what I’ll be eating: lean meats (turkey, chicken), veggies, gluten free brown rice, sweet potatoes, gluten free oatmeal with cinnamon and a scoop of protein, salad, and doubling my water intake.

You can start praying for me now. Ryan is joining me like a champ. So you can pray for our marriage too. :)

That picture right there at the top are all of Ryan’s and my meals for the next week. We won’t be eating “snacks” but will instead be eating 5-6 small meals a day. And we will pretty much be eating the same thing over and over again, so we’re probably going to feel like we’re eating cardboard after a while. Yes, it’s boring and it’s extreme, but it’s 3 weeks. I already cut out sweets, so my thought process was, “Well, if I’m going to suffer anyway, may as well make it miserable.” Have I lost my mind? Probably.

We’ll keep you updated with how we feel. The part I’m most excited about is figuring out how different foods affect me and have been affecting me for a long time and I didn’t even realize it. The greatest part of all of this is knowing that I won’t regret it, even if it is miserable and boring. PS. I’m not doing this for Lent, in case anyone was wondering. I’m doing this purely because I want to lean out, and I kind of think it’s a cop-out to have a goal that has nothing to do with meditating on Christ and slap “Lent” on it to make myself feel better or help me along. I’ve got something totally different for Lent. :)

 

What’s the one thing on your goals list you’ve been putting off because you’re only half-heartedly into it? Start now! You won’t be the only one struggling through! If you need some support, don’t for a second hesitate to share with me! We can push through our goals together. :)

lent

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No man knows how bad he is till he has tried very hard to be good. A silly idea is current that good people do not know what temptation means. This is an obvious lie. Only those who try to resist temptation know how strong it is. After all, you find out the strength of the German army by fighting it, not by giving in. A man who gives in to temptation after five minutes simply does not know what it would have been like an hour later.

That is why bad people, in one sense, know very little about badness. They have lived a sheltered life by always giving in. We never find out the strength of the evil impulse inside us until we try to fight it.

(C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity)

 

This Wednesday (3/5) marks the beginning of Lent. I always look forward to this season, as in recent years I have cherished Lent more closely than years past. For me, it’s not just the taking away of something I hold dear to me, it’s more about the intentional time spent meditating on Christ and His work on this earth. Just like any relationship, the more I invest, the better I know Him, and the greater my love grows for Him. After 40 days of focusing my attention on Christ’s life as a man, I’m moved so much more deeply when the anniversary of His death draws closer. This is only followed by joy almost too great to contain when we get to celebrate His defeat of death on Easter Sunday. This is truly the greatest, most redeeming moment for those who put their trust in our Lord.

Ryan asked me tonight to be reflecting on things in my life, whether tangible or not, that are hindering my love for Christ and spending quality time with Him. It’s already easy for me to pinpoint some things, but we are taking the next few days to really pray about this season of Lent, and work through putting those things aside for a time in order to admire who Jesus is more deeply.

We’re also reading through this book (started today) and will finish right around Easter. If you don’t have a Lent read, I encourage you to pick this one up. Each day is only about 2 pages long, and helps to reflect on Christ’s purpose and design in His death.

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I’ll leave you with the same question the hubs asked me. What in your life, tangible or not, is hindering your love for Christ? What takes the place of quality time spent with Him? Where do you go to, or what do you do to distract, get away, cope, or ignore stuff you don’t like? My challenge to you is to trust Christ with those things, and give them to Him this Lent season. Force yourself to rely on Him, and ask Him to be enough for you. Ask Him to speak to you clearly, and that you’d be receptive to what He has to say. I’m excited to see where He brings us on this journey with Him.

lil men

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Today I had sooo much fun shooting some photos of some friends’ adorable twins. Josh and Jamie are some of my favorites, and their boys are so cute, I almost can’t stand it. Here’s a little sneak peak of our fun from today.

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Absolutely love this family. Jamie is also a blogger, and you can find her here and stay updated with her and her kiddos. Thanks so much, Jamie, for letting me hang out with your family today!

spring wreath

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It’s starting to warm up here in Houston. Anyone who’s lived in Houston for a good amount of time knows that the end of February/early March usually means “experience all four seasons in one week” time of year. Not exaggerating, we’ve had low 40’s-mid 80’s in the past 7 days. This morning was beautiful, and the hubs and I went on a short run to get out in it. Well, I am sad to see the cooler weather go, but I’m excited about the Spring, and I hung my Spring wreath yesterday in honor of the mid-70’s. :) This wreath was incredibly easy, so there’s a possibility that I might also make an “Easter” wreath when that time comes around. We shall see.

This wreath I made using an embroidery hoop for the base. It actually worked out well because the hoop I used had a pretty thick wooden side where the “collar” is. I hot glued the thick ends of the greenery I used onto that wooden collar, which just gave it a more secure hold.

I used twine to hang it, so I started out by hot gluing the twine to the hoop, wrapping it several times. The very last time I made a little knot through the top piece so that the end would be secure and in the middle of the hoop’s width.

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Next, I simply hot glued the main stem of the greenery onto the hoop. I didn’t glue any of the other stems branching off of the main one because I wanted it to be loose and flowy. It’s not very heavy, so I’m not too worried about the hold.

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As I said before, I glued the thick parts of the “branches” onto the collar of the hoop, ensuring extra hold.

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Now, for the flowers, since I made them on floral wire (using this tutorial), I simply wrapped the wire around the hoop, no hot glue involved. I did this on purpose because I might want to use these flowers again for another project. Easy to put on, and easy to take back off.

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That’s it! This wreath is so easy and customizable. Since the flowers are not permanent, I might even add more colors or different kinds of flowers. Who knows… it mostly depends on how busy the next few weekends are. :)

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Hope you enjoy this weather (if you’re in the south), and have a great weekend! Learn something new today. :)

fresh air

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This weekend, my hubs and I set out to a campsite for a mini getaway. There are few things I enjoy more than being outdoors with the smell of a campfire, and a cup of coffee in one hand and book in the other. And that’s a lot of what my weekend consisted of (thank you, Jesus). The weather was absolutely gorgeous. We got pretty chilly at night time (literally, I brought 8 blankets and we used all of them), but during the day it was so perfect. Here are a few pics for you to enjoy. As always, I’ll put all of them on Facebook and link it here, but here are the highlights.

DSC_0566the hubs setting up our home for the weekend

DSC_0583I have no idea why we look so drowsy, but we were very excited to be there

DSC_0585 a little stroll by the lake before dinner

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The week before our trip, we discovered that our friends, KJ and Elise were also camping this weekend at the same campsite! So, they invited us over for dinner and we brought dessert. So fun. Their view was also incredible… right next to the lake!

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DSC_0753I mean, check out this sunset. There is no editing on this pic.

Ok, so this is the story of my life. Like I said, we decided to bring dessert over on Saturday night since KJ and Elise were making dinner for us. I found this brilliant idea on Pinterest for these campfire chocolate cakes baked in orange peels. Well, I clearly filled them up with way too much cake batter, and we enjoyed a 20 min show of the mini cakes exploding with oozing chocolate, like a volcano. That top one in the picture was shooting straight out, horizontally. They did turn out delicious, but looked horrible, and we ended up eating them right out of the campfire because they were too hot to pick up. But we had some great entertainment, and I haven’t laughed that hard in forever. You could probably find this under a Pinterest Fails blog somewhere. Keep an eye out.

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This weekend my parents also came into Houston to volunteer at Passion 2014. They stayed at our place while we went camping, so we didn’t see them much over the time of their visit. We met up with them for lunch on their way out yesterday, which was a fun time of sharing stories from both our weekends. Aren’t they the cutest?

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And I leave you with this picture of fire, because it looks crayzay.

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I’ve been reading through C.S. Lewis’ “The Problem of Pain.” And it has been blowing my mind. I don’t know why I have not ready this up until now, but I’m glad I am. By the time I’m done I’ll probably have actually read it 3 times through, as I’ve been taking it slowly and rereading almost every paragraph multiple times. Packed with so much good. One thing that has really stuck with me a few chapters back is this. Sorry it’s a bit long, but it is worth the read:

“We were made not primarily that we may love God (though we were made for that too) but that God may love us, that we may become objects in which the Divine love may rest ‘well pleased’. To ask that God’s love should be content with us as we are is to ask that God should cease be God: because He is what He is, His love must, in the nature of things, be impeded and repelled by certain stains in our present character, and because He already loves us He must labour to make us lovable.“

My prayer for myself and for you is that we know God’s love as it really is, and that we do not fight Him or label Him as cruel in His making us lovable. It is good, and we are better for it. So thankful.

Enjoy your week! I hope you get to go on an adventure, even if it’s just a weekend away camping. Just unplug and recharge, and rest in Him!

arts & crafts

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This weekend I got to hang out with one of my dear friends, Julielle (check out her website!). She is prepping for an art show she’ll be hosting in March, and she’s working tirelessly to get some fantastic art finished and available for purchase. If you are in Houston that weekend you should most definitely attend. It’s going to be a fabulous event, and there will be snacks and live music, and of course, great art! You can find all the details here.

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While Julielle was working on her art, I worked on some paper flowers that I’m going to use on my Spring wreath. These things have taken me so much longer than I think they should have, haha. I’m kind of a perfectionist, so naturally, everything takes me a bit longer than it probably should. I now have 9 of them finished, and seeing how I won’t be hanging a Spring wreath for a couple more weeks, they are on my kitchen table in a mason jar, doubling as a Valentine’s bouquet. Kinda convenient.

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I got the tutorial for these super cute anemones here. The blog also has a few other different kinds of flower tutorials, so I might try out more types and mix them together for the wreath. I’ll post a pic once it’s finished. :)

I hope you have a wonderful Valentine’s Day! The hubs and I are going camping this weekend, so you can count on pics from our trip on the blog next week. Stay warm, and get your craft on!

scarf camera strap tutorial (DIY)

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This weekend I had the thought to make a strap for my camera. I have some fabric that I could work with, but then I remembered that I had this gift card to Charming Charlie that expired on Jan 31. My hubs bought some Christmas gift cards for family members from that store, and because he spent a certain amount, they gave us a free $10 gift card. I’m not one to wear jewelry… it’s not that I don’t like it, I just always forget about it and it’s seems to me a tedious thing to keep up with, so buying jewelry is kind of just wasting money, as it will sit nicely in my jewelry box and rarely get used. I ventured in anyway, and lucky for me they also sell scarves! I then thought, “hmm… camera strap made out of a scarf.” Thanks, Charlie, for the free strap!

Confession: I’m generally a rule follower in most areas of life, but every once in a while I like to do things on a whim. When it comes to patterns, I get frustrated pretty quickly with all the rules and measurements, so I kind of don’t follow them, and just try to figure out what I’m doing as I’m going. For all you anti-pattern friends of mine, here’s a little tutorial if you’d like to try it out yourself.

What you’ll need: scarf, heavy thread, scrap of leather, 2 swivel fasteners, thick leather needle, thimble, and if the hooks are too big for your camera, small keychain type loops to connect the fasteners to the camera.

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First start out by measuring the length of your scarf. I compared it to the strap that came with my camera, which ended up being about 42in. You can make it shorter or longer depending on the desired length of your strap.

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Next, measure the length of the inside of your swivel fastener (not the outside, or else the leather won’t fit right). Draw the shape you want your leather to be, and trace it onto the leather twice, mirroring itself, with the small sides touching. The small side will be the length of the inside of the fastener you just measured. Then, cut the leather pieces out.

 

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Note: I’m gonna be straight here… hand-sewing leather is one of the most unpredictably difficult things ever. I broke a thick, leather needle in half, people. Broke it in half. If you have a sewing machine that can handle leather, that is so much better. But if you don’t, I just want you to know going into this project that it will take a long while, and you might stab yourself a lot and have sore fingers by the end of it. I got through half of a Lord of the Rings movie before I was done. Yep.

Next, insert the leather pieces through the fastener hoops and fold them in half. Bunch up the scarf ends, lay them in between the two sides of the leather, and pin in place.

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Sew around the edges first, forming a square, and then stitch and X shape in the middle for extra hold.

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And that’s it! You’ve now got yourself a super cute, super easy (besides the leather madness), customized, handmade scarf strap!

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Don’t forget to share if you give it a try!

snow day

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This past weekend has been a whirlwind, and has proven to be even busier than the last! Thursday-Saturday I had trainings for some coaching through PLACE. This was my second official training, but this time the founder of PLACE came and trained us, so it was a pretty cool weekend. I was asked to lead a 1-on-1 coaching in front of the group on Saturday since I’ve been through this before and have had some experience in the coaching process, which terrified me. I don’t enjoy speaking in front of groups, and most certainly not in front of the person who created the very thing I was going to be talking about, but the Lord is good and it turned out to be a fun time. My favorite thing about being a PLACE coach is getting to hear people’s stories and help them identify unique things they bring to the table through the way God has wired them, and affirm them in those things. If you’ve never taken PLACE, I encourage you to take the assessment, follow through with the class, and after that meet with a coach for your 1-on-1. This assessment covers personality, spiritual gifts, your abilities (which is essentially the environment in which you function best), and your passions with your life experiences. All of these together help to understand how God created you, affirms that you are not just uniquely made but NEEDED, and gives you steps to walk in freedom and pursue the things that make you come alive in order to build up the Lord’s kingdom in the best way possible (and most natural) for you.

Note: If you are interested in this assessment and class, let me know. We’re offering it at our church both at the Loop and Downtown campuses this Spring. Contact me, and I’ll connect you with the class that’s best for you!

Sunday morning we headed out to set up for our Fitness Expo! As you already know, fitness is one of my most favorite things ever, and I absolutely love that I get to teach group classes. We had a fabulous time previewing 15 min snapshots of all the classes we offer, and had tons of door prizes and giveaways. I’m not a performer, but something comes alive in me when I get to inspire people in their fitness goals and health. I just love it! You can see all the photos that Ryan and I snapped in between the classes I taught on Facebook. But here are some highlights of the fun we had…

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Yesterday I had an all day meeting for work, following-up everything we discussed on our planning retreat. We assigned to-dos to everyone, and reported back with the information we had found. Let me just say, I am pumped about everything in store for our church in 2014. It’s going to be a great year!

Today we had a “snow day” though I have yet to see any snow. It did sleet, but it’s only about 30 degrees outside, so it’s not sticking. Nevertheless, I am glad work got called off for the day, and I’m seeing it as a gift from the good Lord, providing rest after a packed full weekend. This is the extent of our snow…

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I’m still in my pajamas (don’t judge), and spent the morning sipping on my coffee and reading. One of my 2014 goals is to read some classic books that I’ve never read completely through – one per month – and I’m almost done with my first one (I read a book over Christmas break too, but I’m not counting that one). It has been so refreshing and so intriguing to read the words of some brilliant minds. So much fun discovering ideas through the lens of someone else’s imagination.

I hope you got to rest today, and are soaking in this chilly weather! I don’t enjoy being cold, but I enjoy even less being hot and humid, which is majority of living in Houston, so I’m not complaining one bit. :)

I’ll leave you with a super awesome video one of our production guys put together for a Fitness Center promo. Check it out!

an only half-crazy weekend

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Yesterday was the day of the long-trained, long-dreaded, long-anticipated half-marathon. That race I’ve been (half) training for since we signed up back in May, I think? Yep, that one was yesterday. I’ve stated before that I am not a runner, but I trained for this race because I do love a good challenge, and that’s exactly what I got. :)

My sis and brother-in-law (Lynette & Gary) signed up with us, and came down from their home in Missouri for the weekend to run it. It was a great experience for all, and I’m especially proud of them, as my sister just started running last January 2013 (like, her first mile ever).

I wouldn’t say this race was harder than the Spartan Beast, but it was a different kind of difficult. In the Spartan we had obstacles, which made it harder, but also gave us a break from running. This race was just pure cardio endurance. This was the farthest I (and both my sis and bro-in-law) have ever run at one time without stopping. I finished in 2:12:04, and I’m pretty proud of that time for my first one. Mile 10-12 was definitely the hardest and there was a point where all I could think about was how badly my right hip and left knee and right calf and ankle hurt (I have bad joints). But the cheering crowd was really amazing, and their hilarious signs kept my mind pressing forward (if you have ever cheered on the street for a race like this, know that you are so appreciated and part of the reason some people don’t quit).

Here are some pics of our weekend. Gary and Lynette used to live in Houston, so we hung out with some friends at Cedar Creek on Saturday afternoon. For all the pics, you can look on my Facebook page. Here are just a few highlights…

DSC_0274we almost look like we’re taller than 5ft here

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DSC_0288 - Version 2my dear friend, and coworker, Seresa! love this lady.

finishat the finish! excuse the photo… these were taken with the phone. :)

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unnamedand a headband that sums up the weekend well

Gary and Lynette left this afternoon, back to Missouri. It was a short visit, but packed with lots of fun and excitement. It was such a fun thing to share this half-marathon first experience with them. They are already talking about doing it again next year (crazies)! I am just so grateful for gifts like this from the Lord. He is so good!

When was the last time you did something that at one point seemed completely impossible? If you can’t remember, I challenge you to change that! It’s never too late to take on something new. Do something fun! Try something crazy. Get off the couch and pull some people up with you. It’s always worth it.

old friends

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Last week/weekend was filled with friendships we’ve not seen in far too long. After a full week of work (Ryan and I were both beat), we got to hang out with our friend, Steve, who is in from Australia. This is the second time we were able to see him on his visit, which is so awesome because we haven’t seen him in years (I’ve skyped with Steve a few times with my coworkers as he does team building work using MBTI & Strengths Finder… If you’d like to do some team building for your company or even personal consulting, I highly recommend reaching out to him. He is so good at identifying strengths of your individual team members and helping you understand each other and how your team functions best together.) God has used Steve greatly in both Ryan’s and my life, and it was so good to see him again. We also got to see our friend, Sterling, as we gathered at Gingerman to listen to our old friend, Tom play (I know him as “Tommy” but I will try really hard to refer to him as “Tom”). Ryan and Tom used to be roommates and Steve was our college minister years back (also where we know Sterling from), so it was a pretty surreal thing to reflect on God’s goodness to all of us over the past few years. Side note: we learned that Tom Lynch plays at Gingerman pretty consistently on Thursdays (6-9p). He’s pretty incredible musically, so if you ever want to go chill with some friends and hear some great local music, you should totally go check it out.

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We also have some friends in Houston from Missouri for a mission trip. It’s ironic for me, because the trip they’re on is the very trip my brother-in-law came on like 15 some years ago and met my sister. He ended up moving down here after the trip, and worked with my sis as a youth minister to intercity students. They of course, ended up getting married and eventually moved back to MO. Just kinda funny to now see some high school friends taking the same trip.

Brock and I were in the student worship band at church when I was a senior in high school. He confirmed that I was good at telling everyone what to do (shocker.. it’s a spiritual gift). But he said it was a good thing, so I believe him. :) We got to meet his beautiful girlfriend, and showed them around some parts of Houston on their free-day.

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DSC_0237Is it bad that I kind of enjoy taking pics of people when they don’t know what to do? Keeping it awkward.

1513210_10152216077152223_169836619_nAlso saw this little guy as we were leaving. 

It was a lot of fun reconnecting with people and hearing what they’re up to and where they’re headed. God is so good to us, and it’s a great thing to be reminded of how far He has brought us. Gives me hope for where He’s leading us. :)

Today also happens to be my momma’s birthday! She seriously is one of the best people I know. Her love for the Lord is undeniable, and it’s clear that her one desire is to see more of God, and for as many people as she knows to see Him too. She also has a really dry sense of humor, and really enjoys giving people (especially my dad) a hard time. I TP’d my first house with my mother, and learned how to play pranks on people from her (sorry for outing you, mom). She loves people deeply, and cares for everyone she meets. Growing up, we always had people I’d never met before at our house for holidays just because they didn’t have anywhere else to go. She taught me how to study God’s word and showed me what it looks like to fall in love with Him through it. She is one of the most selfless and giving people I’ve ever known. I still look up to her and ask her questions about this scripture or that, knowing that the wisdom she has been gifted with has one goal: to magnify Christ. She’s lived some life for sure, and her life is a living testimony of God’s redemption and grace to us. Ask anyone who’s ever met her, and I can almost guarantee they’ll say the same. I’m so thankful for her life, and that God saw it fit for her to be my mom!

She’s also a really great cook, and a fabulous hair-dresser (yep, she cuts my hair), but that goes without saying. Oh, and she rocks the salt and pepper hair better than anyone I know.

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I hope that you have someone (or someones) in your life that inspires you to fervently pursue the things of the Lord. I hope that you don’t take yourself too seriously, and allow yourself to do things just for fun! I hope that you are better because of the people God has brought into your life, and I hope that you intentionally thank the Lord for those people and experiences. They are a gift not to be taken for granted! Live well, live full, live in thanksgiving. And be that inspiration to those around you!