SparkPeople

Well, I'm heading back to SparkPeople. What is SparkPeople, you ask? Well, its a fabulous weight-loss site! Its a little like Facebook, but for people who want to get healthy. On it, I can track my food, exercise and other goals, talk with other people who are in the same boat, and get healthy recipe and exercise ideas, plus a lot more. I used the site my last year in college and lost 30 pounds!! Unfortunately, I've put it all back, with a little extra, over the past two years. So I'm back! I'm gonna get skinny and healthy and take on the world! And, in the past two days, I've lost 3 pounds :) yay! And, to help myself out, I've set up a reward system. Every 10-15 pounds lost, I reward myself with something I want, ranging from a pedicure to a laptop. My big reward when I reach my goal will be some sort of dream trip. Let's do this!!

This Is Why I Do It

The look on a teen's face when they hear they are not alone.

When a girl can cry and be told she's beautiful.

When a boy can be open and start to heal from years of bullying.

When a teenage girl learns how to help a suicidal friend.

When a teen learns that their mistakes do not define them.

When teens know that they are not worthless. They have purpose. They are loved.

I live for the moments when walls come down and love comes in.

I live so these kids can know they are not alone.

That someone cares.

A text. A hug. An encouraging word. A prayer.

These are my weapons. They bring down walls.

They heal scars.

It's nights like this that make it all worth it.

Religion: Pure and Faultless

i write this from the portland airport, on my phone, after traveling for roughly seventeen hours..and still not at my final destination (the justice conference in bend). for some reason it won't let me capitalize letters. sorry. but, anyways. i've been thinking of a bible verse that i read in a book on my first flight. james 1:27. we tend to quote the first part often, "religion that god our father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress" but i had never realized the second half of this verse,"and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world". i never noticed this before but there it is, no period comma or anything. it made me realize that one of the ways we keep from being polluted by this world is to take care of those in need. when we take care of someone is distress we do more than donate money. we get involved. we're invested. by entering their world, ours is put into perspective and the things we thought we needed aren't as important. we become less polluted by the world and purified through laying down our lives for our brothers.

"Under the Overpass"

Under the Overpass by Mike Yankowski Living in a cozy house with a warm bed, fridge full of food with a reliable car in the driveway. Good education and matching job. Clean clothes, sitting in a comfy seat in a fancy, high-tech church every Sunday. Its easy to say you trust God when this is your life. But what if all of these things were stripped away? Would your faith hold up? College students Mike and Sam wanted to find out. They made the radical (translate: crazy) decision to become homeless for 5 months in 6 different cities to discover if their faith was real and to see what it was like to be homeless in the wealthiest nation on Earth.

Their story will challenge and inspire you. The way you view your life and the world around you will change. The question is, what will you do with it?

Highly Recommended 5/5 stars

"A Man's Heart"

A Man's Heart by Lori Copeland

Jules' life is crumbling quickly. Within a few short months (and the first several chapters) she loses her father, her best friend, and faces the possible failure of her family farm. To top it all off, her friend leaves Jules to raise her children with the one man Jules has always loved, but can't seem to commit to. Can they overcome the past to create a bright future...together?

While I am a huge fan of Lori Copeland's, this was not her best work. I enjoyed the story, but did have some issues with it. Jules' character was well-developed and relatable, but none of the others were. I would have liked more depth to Cruz beyond the hurt he feels from being left at the alter, twice. On the flip side, a lot of time was spent describing the farm and potatoes, when I would have preferred more information about the characters and their thoughts. That being said, this book did keep me up late reading and made me cry. The end result was a happy ending with the triumph of love and God's all-encompassing plan.

Thank you to Zondervan for sending me this book (http://zndr.vn/fmqF0j)

3.5/5 Stars

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday to my bestest friend today! And as an early birthday/Christmas present, we booked our trip to Disney on Sunday :D We're going for New Years!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And I'm super-duper excited!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (In case you can't tell by the number of exclamation points!) We'll be gone for a week and will usher in the new year with fireworks at Cinderella's castle =D

Weird Happenings of an Easy Shift

Ever had to give a foot rub and shot of Ouzo to a woman in her (I think) 70s? I did today.