LUCI IS WALKING A MARATHON FOR HER DAD!

Remember a while back and I said this was going to be a blog to support one another in good times and rough times. Well here is a rough (physically challenging) time for a great cause that is going to warm your heart and make you want to go take a nice hot bath and thank God you have not been convicted to do such a thing but I hope you feel convicted to support her.
MY SWEET FRIEND LUCI SMITH (pictured in yellow) IS GOING TO WALK A MARATHON!!!! Today was her 22 mile training day and below is her post from Facebook today.....
I feel like I just walked all over Portland. Started out under the Hawthorne Bridge then up to Laurelhurst park, then back down to our aide station under the Hawthorne Bridge. Then across Hawthorne Bridge to Washington Park, up Washington Park then back to down to the Waterfront park and across the Hawthorne Bridge to the aide station. Then back across the Hawthorn Bridge, along the waterfront to Natio then to about the Freemont Brdige and back, across Broadway bridge to the Esplanade and back to the aide station under Hawthorn Bridge. That was almost fun
She is amazing and she is walking for a cause every Daddy's Girl can relate to; the love for her father! Luci lost her father to cancer this year and she felt lead to raise money on his behalf for the Lukemia and Lymphoma Society by walking the Nike Women's Marathon as a member of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's (LLS) Team In Training. She has been training up a storm. Her Portland to Coast team came in 6th place and automatically qualified them for the race next year. The love of the Lord that flows from Luci is amazing. She is going to reach this goal and I ask that all of us daughters do our part to help her. First and most importantly please pray for Luci. Pray for her health, her strength, her endurance! Please pray that on the day of the Marathon she will be carried through by the love of her father and his pride in her and the love and strength of her heavenly Father. Please also take time to look at Luci's fundraising blog. Her whole story is there and pictures of her incredible Daddy. If you are able to help her with a donation to her fundraising I am sure she would appreciate that very much. Luci My Friend I am so very proud of you and as a Daddy's girl myself I want to say thank you for trying to save other Daddies through the LLS. I will be think of you and praying for you throughout the Marathon. You will do amazing. GO LUCI!!!

http://pages.teamintraining.org/oswim/nikesf11/lucismith

Worry Stinks

Morning Friends,
Okay this is the kind of thing I struggle with and I bet some of you struggle with too.

Self doubt and worry!! Yikes what a MONSTER!! A monster in my own head!

This is the deal today! I worked hard until late last night. Got a lot accomplished. Even took a break to enjoy the Summer evening with my daughter and her youth group. Great night, late night, but Great! Then at 6am my son comes in and wakes me because he needs something. He is okay, gets what he needs, and goes back to bed. What do I do???? Begin to toss and turn!!

My mind starts out the morning not proud of what I have accomplished but dreading what is ahead! The voice in my head says....Oh no - only 1 more day til that deadline, Oh no - only one more week til the race and you haven't trained like you should. Oh no- you need to walk more hills, you need to just get out and walk, NO you need to lose weight because you have gained, how much do you think you can lose in 1 week. Wait the deadline is tomorrow drop everything and focus on that. SHEESH!! I am defeated and overwhelmed and I haven't even stepped out of bed to start my day!

Do you have mornings like this?? I know I am not alone in this! Your circumstances might be different but I know that I am not the only one that feels like this.
I need you! We need each other! Time to show support. Not just for me but for all our friends that roll out of bed and the voice in their head has already become the enemy.

Come on my friends I need your best advice on what do you do on mornings when self doubt and worry get the best of you.

Do you have a favorite scripture, or favorite healthy food, or favorite morning routine.
I know I must run my own race but my mind is on pleasing others and not failing. Big self doubt and worry!!!!
Wow I am bearing my soul but you know what, I am positive I am not alone in this.
Please run with me!
Hebrews 12:1
Sarah

New Blog Emphasis

Hello My Friends,

I think we all need a little support! A little "I have been there, and this is what worked for me." I continue to want to be healthier. I want to be grounded, and strong. I want to be confident. I want to be free of worry and regret. But recently I have run into road blocks in life and I have kept the road blocks secret. This only makes the road blocks BIGGER. The devil loves it when he get us alone to stew in our worries, regrets, and doubt. He does not want us to support each other and shine the light of encouragement and support on those things that hinder us in our race.

We need to share the road blocks we are facing. Encourage one another. Stand strong in the Lord and throw off all that hinders us! This is going to be a blog of encouragement. A blog that shines a light on the Road Blocks in life and eases the loneliness and doubt. Take courage we are running this race together!

I hope you will join me, share with me, encourage those that are walking or running a path you have already been down.

I am VERY blessed to have lots of friends and family that love me and show their love but even so, I have given in to discouragement, depression, worry and doubt! Lets make this a new day and a new blog. It won't make everything better but it will lend a little support and encouragement in the race!!!

Hebrew 12:1
Run with me!!
Sarah

I have lost a Matthew

For a few weeks I have been working towards the goal of taking this picture.

When I found out how much my sweet friend Matthew weighed I couldn't believe I was so close to losing a whole Matthew. Where was I storing a whole Matthew's worth of weight on my body? I know my body has changed but really a whole 10 year old (maybe 11, sorry Matthew if I got your age wrong)? Well Saturday September 18th (4 months and 1 week after starting this adventure) I weighed in and found out I had lost a whole Matthew plus one pound. :) EXCITING!!!

I love reaching goals and seeing results. It doesn't have to be a goal of weight loss to make me happy but this one is. Results make all the hard work worth it. I have to say I LOVE getting healthy. Daily choices are not always fun or easy but boy when I am seeing results it makes it all absolutely worth it.

At this point I am down 4 pant sizes, 1 shoe size, and 2 ring sizes. Awesome to be able to choose clothes for what they look like now not because they are the only thing in the store that fits.

Thank you my smiley friend Matthew for being such a sport about having your picture taken with me and thank you to his Mommy and so many others of you that support me and root me on to my many goals. I so appreciate all your kindness.

May God bless you, my friends, on your journey!

A whole lotta energy

I have noticed this week how much energy life really takes and how much extra energy I have to give now that I am not lugging around so much excess weight. I still have a long way to go but I am feeling pretty good.

Wow we went to the State Fair yesterday and we walked all over. I chased my hubby and kids on the fair tram while taking pictures and pushing a stroller and it was the kids who got fussy at the end not me. I wasn't constantly looking for a place to sit because my feet were tired and sore. I enjoyed the day without discomfort and grouchiness.

This getting healthy journey really is making life a lot more pleasant! I have to say the smell of the hand dipped corndogs was like a sirens song but I resisted. I didn't even have an ice cream cone when everyone else in my family had one. I just enjoyed my bar I had brought from home and my water and felt GREAT! So glad to have to extra energy and higher spirits that comes with it.


I did take a long bath when I got home though ;)
God Bless You on your journey!

60 things

I have given a lot of thought to what makes us healthy as I have adventured through this journey so far. Some things are so simply and others are more complex. I thought maybe I would list 60 things I have done to get healthy when I reached 60 pounds lost. Now I am a half pound away from 65 pounds lost and I think a list of 60 healthy things is a good list to make but I want to make a list of 60 things to make us all healthy not just me. I would love your imput. Below is a start to my list.

60 things that make us healthy.
JESUS goes to the top of the list. He is my constant. Without him nothing on this list matters.
1. Love
2. Forgiveness
3. Companionship
4. Exercise
5. Fresh Food
6. Plenty of water
7. Laughter
8. Scripture
9. Affection
10. Charity
11. Kindness
12. Sacrifice
13. Hard work
14. Praise
15. quiet
16. Children
17. Sunshine
18. Friendship
19. Activity
20. Music
21. Sleep
22. Contentment
23. Perserverence
24. Encouragement
25. Faith
26. Playing in the dirt
27. Forward Momentum
28. Pursuit of dreams
29. long soak in the bathtub
30. aromatherapy
31. Balance
32. acceptance of self
33. Fresh Air
34. Solitude
35. less refined sugar
36. celebration
37. rewards for goals met
38. annual doctors visits
39. GRATITUDE!
40. Purpose
41. imagination
42. Patience (not my strong suit)
43. prayer
44. wise council
45. Family
46. Dinner at the table
47. Completing projects
48. Hobbies
49. memories
50. boundaries
51. Art/Creativity
52....
I love getting healthy and realizing that my life is more fulfilled because I am not slothful anymore. Please help me complete this list. Share your ideas.

May God Bless you on your journey!

Loose fitting pants and inner voices

Hello My Friends,

Yesterday was a day full of ups and downs......with my pants that is. I am nearing the 60 pound mark and I wore a pair of pants that just did not want to stay up. My funny kiddo, Jacob, went grocery shopping with me and thought it was so funny when I said my pants were falling off. "Oh mom my pants fell off once too" he said. Well mine didn't actually fall off but boy they were loose and I spent the day hiking them up. That is one hardship I didn't mind having.

On a little more serious note my inner voices have not always been nice to me this weekend. I went to a VERY important wedding this weekend, my ringbearer, a young man I dearly love was marrying his sweetheart. Beautiful day, Beautiful couple, ....and yikes beautiful cake. Here is my get healthy delimna. I love cake. They had a beautiful wedding cake at the reception. Infact there were 5 different flavors, 5 different layers, and mmmmmm did it look delicious. I was good and only had 2 small bites of Jason's dessert but the rest of the evening and part of Sunday I have battled with my thoughts. One voice saying "You should have had a piece. You are missing out. It won't hurt. You deserve it." Another voice saying "What did you do? 2 bites of cake...dum di dum dum!" And yet another voice saying "You did the right thing. You are fine with just 2 bites and move on satisfied. Yikes- I hate it when I have so many conflicting thoughts and feelings about food. This getting healthy thing isn't easy especially inside my head. :) It amazes me when I try to do a good thing, how the devil can get in my head and get me all mixed up. I am thankful for the quiet voiceof reassurance I know comes from the Lord and the louder voice I find in my very encouraging husband. Jason listens so patiently as I try to sort out the voices and my choices. Somedays the negitive voices win and other days I can find peace even with all the crazy thoughts. Yesterday my loose fitting pants only confirmed the quiet voices, I did the right thing, and I am satified!

Thank you Lord!

God Bless You on your journey!