JustaChick

for the fifty leventh time.. Lord help me.

 

 

I should have posted this yesterday.  I didn't.  I am so sorry.  From this moment on.. my LosingIt10 posts will be up on Fridays.  Promise.  possibly.  I'll do my best.

I am joining my new friends, Ashleigh at Heart-and-Home, Jessie at Vanderbiltwife and Mary at GivingUpPerfect on their weight loss journey.  Sweet Becky Jo at Sweet Abundance is my homegirl.  She's waking my bottom, tooshy, what ever.. lazy buttocks every morning.  We've got a pact.  Texting in the morning.  I know she is counting on me and I am counting on her.  It's important.  I haven't done really great this week, but Jesus and I decided that slow and steady will be how we needed to proceed.  

I'm serious.  I can NOT do this without Him.  I have no will power when it comes to getting up early and heading to the gym.  None.  I would rather stay snuggled in the bed and hang with the teens as they get ready for school and enjoy the peace and quiet before my work day started.

I would.

But I am not going to.  Do you remember last year?  I was on a roll and lost so much weight.  I could just spit. But, I am a southern woman.  

We don't spit.  

I'm a tad frustrated though.  By summer time I had lost a load of weight and plenty of inches. Heckidoodle... I even ran/walked my first 5k..  I've gained it all back and have recovered from a back injury.. 

BUT!  Enough of the whining and lamenting..  Let's do this.

Here are my early goals:

• Work out at least 4 times a week (elliptical, bike, treadmill)
• I'm back on Weight Watchers online.  It's works for me. usually. :)
• No more soda.  Except for my token Fresca.
• Slowly start cutting back on sweets/carbs. (I know my limits)
• Ease my way into the iPhone app Couch to 5K.
• Drink 1 gallon of water a day. :) wooty woot.

This week I have lost 3.5 pounds.. it equals 0.014% of my weight, so I thought the 3.5 pounds looked much better in print than the percentage.  Boo hiss.  

I did not NOR do I plan on giving up a periodic chocolate or sweet indulgence.  Unless Jesus comes back. We will be feasting at that point anyway!

How are you loosing the weight you want to get rid of?  OR, how do you maintain a healthy weight?

Mom is serving King Ranch Chicken for lunch tomorrow so I am headed off to count my points.. better to be prepared than try to recover after..right?

 

reflecting, Lent and those darn accountability partners..

I truly thought that as we entered this Lenten season that I would be called to do something drastic.

I thought that God was asking me to step away from facebook and the twitter-verse.. life has been wide open lately.

I truly believe that there are some seasons of your life that God calls you to not necessarily give any thing up sacrificially, but calls you to focus intentionally in the midst of the chaos.

Life is busy right now.  I have three great teenagers.  One is graduating from high school in 3 months. Two will graduate next year.  Are you picturing this with me?  My pouring into their lives daily (in this way) is slowly (and quickly) coming to a close.

My hubs has a high stress job and tends to travel alot..

My mom lives close by and needs me more and more..

I have a full time, wide-open job that I love.

So... I struggled when I shared with my hubs that I thought God was calling me to step back from FB and Twitter and he responded negatively.  He wasn't mean and he didn't shrug off the conversation.  Please don't misunderstand me.  He checked me on my motives.  The conversation turned to his encouragement not to step away completely.  Encouraging others and relationships are a big part of who I am.  If I stepped back from those two formats completely I wouldn't be myself.  True.

Conflicted.  Isn't that part of the point of Lent?  To sacrificially give up something that prevents you from digging deeper into your relationship with God?

Confused.  Aren't you supposed to spend the season of Lent in reflection and intimate examination of your heart and your relationship with God?

I think the answers are yes and yes.  

Here is how God is using this season, and quite frankly it's freaking me out a bit.  IT's SOO personal. So stinking personal. ( I KNOW!!!)

A Thomas Nelson sponsored devotional taken from 66 Love Letters: A Conversation with God that Invites You into His Story by Dr. Larry Crabb.

An email in my inbox every morning for crying out loud.  I am on day seven.  ONLY day seven.  I've been on my face every time.  Every time.

Outside of some amazing Bible Studies and reading the WORD for myself, I dare say there has been any time more personal.  I am almost afraid to say any more about it.

So, consider this.  

Could He possibly ask you to intently focus during Lent while not giving anything up?

Could He possibly ask you to get to a place of victory as you begin to surrender to His will?  

Could He possibly ask you to sacrificially give of your time?

Let me know...

Me.. He's got me on my face.  It's okay, there is a great view down here.

 

..the hair wizard brings me such joy..

The most frivolous post of the week.. but I just had to share her with you.

Anna Hand at Millidine's in Madison, AL rocks.  I'm just sayin'.  She knows hair, color and is brutally honest in a very kind and loving way.  Truly.  

So.. my hair has been longish for about 4 years now and I was getting so blah and hum drum about the whole styling thing.  Really, you understand don't you?  I was feeling my ageish.. we won't talk about it right now, mkay?  So.. I mulled over  Anita Renfroe's new hair cut.  I LOVE it.. don't you?  She looks wonderbar.

I have thought about it for weeks.  I drummed up all the support I could muster.. thanks to my sweet Tweeps and my work buds.. and printed out some pictures.. not of the picture Anita posted on her FB page.  She had a hat on and said it would confuse the wizard.  Good point.   (I just want to add a disclaimer that Ms. Renfroe has been nothing but kind in allowing me a brief albeit intense hair style stalking phase.  I am hoping that I don't make it in her next book, skit, act, radio pilot..)

So I headed over to Millidine's Salon & Day Spa to see sweet Anna...isn't she cute?

I was blown away..she said yes to the hair cut!  She's great.. but she's also wonderful about gently coaching you back to her home base when the cut you think you want will make you look like Bozo the Clown.  

It's why I love her so much.  

You sit in the chair and POOF!  She does her magic.  

Lord knows I need me some good hair magic.  

I couldn't be happier..

so.. if you live in Huntsville, Madison, Athens, Decatur.. heck.. anywhere close by, get your hind end to the hair wizard's chair.  Tell her I sent you.. 

Thanks for putting up with the hair dilema.  You can carry on now...

  

{blissdom final re-cap.. sniff sniff...}

So, humor me.  This is going to be a really long post...

I wrote about what was most important to me at Blissdom 2010 about ten days ago.

I didn't lie.

It was the most important thing to me..the human connection.  Tweeps that became IRL friends, connecting with brand new friends that I can't imagine ever giving up now.  Amazing what can happen in 72 hours.

I was blessed with being able to attend the Wisdom Workshop on Thursday. 

 I am so glad I took the extra day and dug in deep.  

Here  are my favorite points from each workshop:

Say What You Want to Say - Dan Barber & Jessica Smith @jessicaknows - Fleishman-Hillard

The purpose of message points - 

Define your agenda and help you focus; 

Make it easy for you to “tell your story” and for others to remember it; 

Give you a “life raft” to cling to if the waters turn rough;  

Ensure you’re delivering a consistent message over time.

Good messages are - Concise, simple and specific; Memorable, genuine and personal; Strategic

Very informative and funny to boot.  LOVED this session

Coding/Back End - Darcy di Disegno @my3boybarians, Daisy Olsen @DaisyOlsen

I have to admit that this workshop was WAY over my head, but I loved it.. I learned alot about CSS, HTML and there was a discussion about different blogging platforms.  Don't ask me anything.. I am NOT an expert.  I did learn about the importance of writing in a .rtf program.

Inspirational Writing - Casey Mullins @mooshinindy, Stephanie Precourt @babysteph, Molly WIgand @hmkmollyw & Sarah Mueller

LOVED this workshop.. LOVED it.  I met Jenny86753oh9!  For goodness sakes.. but these women were fabulous!

• What inspires you to write?
• Honest and big questions really get them going. 
• The thing you are most afraid to write is what you must write!! (OUCH!!) 
• The more perfect you try to make it the worse it gets and the more you fail. 
• Saying too much too soon, there is a difference in being passionate and being impulsive.
• Take time to be a good listener, it enriches the breadth of experience that you have to write about.

Writer's Craft - Amber Haines @amberrunsamuck, Megan Jordan @VelveteenMind, Deb Rox @debontherocks, Arianne Segerman @ToThink

Another one of my favorites.. no joke.

• Guide the reader so they know how to breathe.
  
• Pace your reader.. Deliberately… 
  
• 95 % blog readers spend 5 seconds or less on your site.
  
• Add audio blog to your posts…Pacing, structure, read your words out loud
  
• What rules are important to keep and what rules are important to break?
  
• Stretch yourself to do something different, tighter and more directly.
  
• Check for repetition. Your verbs can be very powerful.

KeyNote: ReDiscovering Play - Bringing Fun and Passion to Your Work..and Life - Kevin Carroll @kckatalyst

AmAZINg...Still has my mind thinking about how the lines between work and play are no longer blurred for me and how they need to be.  Oh, how they need to be.  For a creative mind to flourish..they need to be.  Loved him to pieces.  Check out Alli's post on Kevin.  She said it all.

You Should Know Better - Susan Getgood @sgetgood, Liza Barry-Kessler @lizawashere, Kristen Berman

WAY OVER MY head.  Know the rules.  Blog with integrity.  Really.  Disclosure is really important.

Personal Branding - Shelly Kramer @shellykramer, Liz Strauss @lizstrauss, Alli Worthington @alliworthington

One of the most important statements made: If you are writing on a blog and you are not who you are, then why?

Be who you are and see who stays.. What is your message?  What do you believe in?  What can you deliver?  Who are you and why do you matter?  OWN IT and go with it!  Keep it real.  

Striking A Balance - Christine Koh @bostonmamas, Deb Rox @debontherocks, Megan Jordan @velveteenmind, Arianne Segermann @ToThink, Carmen Stacier @mttsm

I was so mesmerized by their sharing that I didn't take notes.  Focus, goals, schedule, play, family, work... it's gotta balance.

Blogging With the Stars - Holly Buchanan @hollybuchanan, Dana Loesch @DLoesch, Melissa Michaels @theinspiredroom, Michelle Mitchell @scribbit, Tsh Oxenreider @simplemom

Content is king (or is the King the content.. I added that.. :) )  Write about what inspires you today.  Make it conversational, like you are talking to your best girl friend.

Getting Published - Erin Chase @5dollardinners, Tsh Oxenrider @simplemom, Sharyn Rosenblum @sharynrosenblum, Kristen Welch @wearethatfamily, Alicia Ybarbo @todaysmoms

Lots of great information about book proposals, literary agents, perseverance and not underselling yourself. Bloggers who want a book deal need to keep blogging.  That IS your platform.  Your readers ARE your audience. (All four of mine)

Content is Queen - Emily Freeman @emilychats, Amber Haines @amberrunsamuck, Isabel Kallman @isabelkallman, Deb Rox @debontherocks

Use an authentic voice, truth telling means that you have developed a voice.  Write often.  You don't have a voice until you work it out.  Quality writing means living life.  Read good writers.

Amber has great writing resources on her website: therunamuck

Memoir Writing - Catherine Connors @herbadmother, Megan Jordan @velveteenmind, Tanis Miller @redneckmommy, Michelle Mitchell @scribbit

• What makes a memoir different?

  
  

• Length - short

  
  

• Point of view - 1st person

  
  

• Expanse - snippet, a short scene, symbolism, irony

  
  

• Structure and Elements

  
  

• Resolution - is there any?

  
  

• Honesty - how did this story really happen?

  
  

• Posts are crafted to tell a story, for the most part. :)

  
  

So there you have it sweet reader.  I learned ALOT.  These notes are just a snippet of the wisdom from these amazing panels.  When the dates of Blissdom 2011 are released.. RUN, don't walk, RUN and register.  I didn't even tell you how wonderfully we were treated/taken care of.. ahh, the bliss of it all.

Thank you ConAgra Foods, Hunts, iRobot, Orville Redenbacher, Healthy Choice, intuit, Lands' End, Weight Watchers, CoverGirl, Hanes, Blue Bunny Arnold, Kraft Bagelfuls, Lifetime moms, Hallmark and Soles4Souls! Hopefully you will continue to see the benefit of sponsoring Blissdom in the future.  

Most of all.. thank you Alli Worthington, Barbara Jones & Paula Bruno you have set the bar high.. and I for one, am sold.

 

i love books.. i do love books..

I love books... I do love books.. alot...

This one, I had a hard time with..

Green tells the story of Thomas Hunter, a man from our time who has been transported to the future version of our world, which has long since gone through the events of Revelation. This book starts years after Thomas has entered this timeline. He is older now with children and a wife, and is in charge of a group called The Circle, a version of Christians which combats evil and hopes to try and bring unbelievers the message of God, or Elyon as he is now called. Except this time, evil and good now have very viable and tangible powers, made real by Elyon after Revelation. And with Thomas at the end of his rope, he has to find a way back to out time to try and save his reality.  I must admit, when I read the intro to this book, I was a bit intrigued. Dekker has tried something completely new (as far as I can tell) in the realm of story writing. Green is meant to be both the first in the series and the last in the series, depending on how you read the four novels (others are Red, White, and Black). However, his daring experiment falls flat on its face. No real back story was given, and the change of each chapter between Thomas’ new reality and ours only seemed to have the barest connection until later. Evil characters are cliché in appearance, and for anyone who has read the other books, it is simply a retelling of the events that you already know about. So, while an interesting idea, it doesn’t really deliver .

I still love books though.. just not this one so much.

senselessness and a great responsibility...

I live in Madison, AL. 

I'm proud to live here.

Right now, it's hard to live here.  Within a ten day span, my community has suffered great loss and senseless violence. 

I was at Blissdom 2010 on Friday, February 5th when I received word that there had been a shooting at Discovery Middle school.  I was in the midst of wonderful women, lots of knowledge and fun. 

My heart just broke.

My kiddos are older and have moved to high school, but my friends have children that attend school there.  I have friends that are teachers there.  I have friends that are administrators in the school system.  I have friends in this community.  Regardless of whether we are directly affected or have been hit by the ripple affect, we are hurting.

Our hearts break, we begin to ask questions and desire answers.  We want to make a difference, to encourage and motivate.  We want to make it all better.

And we can't.

What we can do, is pray.  And I have been.  What we can do is encourage our friends and I have been.  What we can do is be part of the solution or prevention not stir up more dissent and anger.  I am trying to be part of the solution.

I have struggled with sharing the joy and blessing of Blissdom in the midst of my community hurting and, to be quite honest, trying to recover from a couple of crazy work weeks.  

I was headed home on Friday, excited to compile, focus, organize my thoughts and share them with you when another senseless tragedy hit on Friday.

This time.. I was more directly affected.  Somewhat. And it's been a hard weekend.

I work as an Executive Assistant to the Director of Educational Outreach for HudsonAlpha.  We are a biotech institute focused on research, education and economic development. 

The colleagues that were killed and injured on Friday night were/are good friends of the institute.

Many of the people I work with on a daily basis are faculty at UA Huntsville in the Biology department. 

Many of the people I work with on a daily basis are hurting because of this senseless act.

I know I have spoken with many of the people involved a handful of times over the last few years.  I didn't have personal relationships with them, but then again, I did. 

The team that I support and work with on a daily basis, have close ties to the victims and UA Huntsville. 

Their hearts are broken. 
They are angry and confused. 
They are numb. 
They are speechless.

So am I. 

They are hurting, so I hurt.  They are grieving, so I grieve. 

I don't understand a single thing.  I can't make any sense out of what has happened to our community.

What I do know....  is this.. I can help in whatever way is needed.  What I do know... is that I can pray.

My friends need comfort, peace and mercy.  My friends need hope and love and grace.

 ^49-56 Remember what you said to me, your servant—
      I hang on to these words for dear life!
   These words hold me up in bad times;
      yes, your promises rejuvenate me.
   The insolent ridicule me without mercy,
      but I don't budge from your revelation.
   I watch for your ancient landmark words,
      and know I'm on the right track.
   But when I see the wicked ignore your directions,
      I'm beside myself with anger.
   I set your instructions to music
      and sing them as I walk this pilgrim way.
   I meditate on your name all night, God,
      treasuring your revelation, O God.
   Still, I walk through a rain of derision

Psalm 119:50, The Message)

One of my Pastors and my friend, Jimmy Aycock said this morning, " We have a great responsibility as the church to pray so that something else won't happen."  He wasn't making a statement that there was not personal responsibility in either case.  He was urging all of us to pray, with great responsibility against the forces of the enemy and to pray for protection for our community.

Will you join me?  We sure could use your prayers.

I love you,

oh the hormones... the stinkin' hormones

Have I told you that there are three teenagers in my home?

Have I shared with you the challenges of raising them?  Raising them to be kind and compassionate and fun loving and conscientious and sold out for Him?

I don't often do this.. cause I consider it braggin'  a lil' bit and I'm just not all into that. 

AT ALL.

BUT.. I can't help myself at the moment.  I am sure that I will get through all this.. but it's HARD raising teenagers in this world. 

Just hard.

Part of the time I want to run to an island where no one can find me and (in the words of Boomama) rock back and forth in a corner.

I LOVE them.  LOVE them.  They make me laugh and worry and cry and feel incredibly grateful to be their mom.  To have them for a season and then watch them fly is AmAZing to me.  That He would love me so much.  That He would trust me (and my stinkin' human flesh) so much to impart this role to me.  Speechless.  Speechless.

So, when we go through a rough patch and then they turnaround and do something like this... I am struck to the ground on my face.  On my FACE at His feet thanking Him for what HE is doing in their hearts.  Me.. I'm just the gatekeeper at the moment.  He is the One that should get all the GLORY.

I give you, Rebecca and her heart.  (the following is reprinted with her permission..after her submission to her Creative Writing teacher)

Help me

 

Help me to find peace in the storm

Help me to be reborn

I need Your love to calm me down

Whenever my face hits the ground

 

Help me to avoid temptation

And go into a better direction

Only You can see the heart in me

Show me what You want me to be

 

Help me to know that You are there

Even if I don’t care

Help me to be like You

In every aspect that You choose

 

Light me in Your every way

Teach me the words to say

God I know You're there

So im asking for one thing

Help me

Amen honey.. Lord, help me.

the lingering bliss of Blissdom 2010

Honestly, I don't know what I was thinking.

Well, I do know.

I love all things social media. Twitter, Facebook and blogging. I haven't been as consistent with my blog.. but awww lawdy, that has changed.

Following the Twitter hashtag #Blissdom will let you in on just a few things:

women

blogs

mothers

passionate

kind

supportive

funny

community

So when I saw THE Alli Worthington tweet about registration to Blissdom being live..well there I went down the waterfall of oh my lawdy...and I am so VERY glad I did.  I went with only having met my roomie, Tammy once, brave woman she is, but she turned out to be one of the best roomies EVER. Let's face it, she put up with me and let me do her make up.  What's better than that?

Isn't she just a doll?

I was/am completely out of my element.  I was overwhelmed and excited and hungry to learn more and fascinated and intimidated and taller than aLOT of women and challenged and well I could just stinkin go on forever.

I have pages of notes and have a gazillion posts to share with you. (please don't make me post them all today)

The Hubs asked me on Monday.. (notice that he waited until after he recovered from the wrath of the coma like wife. at 6:20 on Sunday morning after my arrival home Saturday evening late he politely informed me that the mother load (I love her) was coming over for lunch and I was cooking.  WHAT?)

What was the most important thing that you learned at Blissdom 2010?

My answer: That is a great question!

I had absolutely no words to convey my emotions.  I was worded out after 500 women, a gorgeous hotel, AMAZING food and well.. being geeked out all week.  Harry Connick didn't hurt except for some weird monolgue.

But I have words now  and can tell you what the most important thing about Blissdom 2010 was.. Would you like to know?

Just kidding.

Here are the most important things about Blissdom 2010:

Women who you instantly have connections with...

Families you have prayed for....

 

 

Gorgeous new friends that are so amazingly talented it renders you speechless...

  

Wisdom shared from younger than me chicks that will stay with me forever.  I wish I could be in Nashvegas all the time...

 

Funny moments that can not be repeated but have connected us forever....    

Friendships created online became in real life friendships that will definitely hang around for a long time. 

He shared alot with me during those 72 hours.. more to follow and who you can follow to be encouraged, I promise.  Until then...

What's the most important thing you learned at Blissdom?

What I left at home

So much information today. So much to think about and great wisdom passed on.

One of my favorite workshops was at the end of the day... Writers Craft with Amber Haines @amberrunsamuck, Megan Jordan @VelveteenMind, Deb Rox @debontherocks and Arianne Segerman @ToTHink .

Got my head a spinning and no, not like Linda Blair.

These women are exceptional writers. And darn it if they didn't make us do a 10 minute writing prompt.

Darn it.

I didn't like the subject. What dumb exercise is this? What I left at home? Just write? Just don't think and write? Wow.

I cried.

Here you go.. and where I went today...

What I left at home…

I left my heart at home. 

I left the laughter and the familiar at home.  The way the man smiles at me when he walks in the door after a long stressful day at work because my presence eases his soul. 

I left the laughter and the gushing at home from my girls who are goofy and lovely and crazy and attached to my hip.

I left the sweetness and insecurity and quiet yearning from a son who is growing into a man too quickly for his own liking.

I left the sounds of family happening and life changing.  I left the jumping excitement of the puppies and wags of the tails.

I left the comfort zone of who I am and what I know for an unknown filled with unfamiliar people and a slightly unfamiliar way of living.

I left the creamer and amazing bed and couch and the smells and the comforts of home.

I am at a cross roads of where God is taking me. 

I don’t want to leave home or leave anything at home.  I feel torn.

I want to be home.  I want to be with Him 24/7 surrounded by my family and laughter and be comfortable with that. 

But, at the same time, I want to be at home all the time.  At home in my own skin, in this season of my life and with where He has me.

I want to feel like I never leave anything anywhere because it’s been given as a drink offering to Him to use everywhere all the time.

Wisdom was definitely passed on today.  Blissdom 2010 is a good thing. Good thing.

I got this.

Pardon the many Blissdom 2010 posts this week, but that is where I be.  I'm all tucked in my bed after checking in, getting situated and running out to meet with some local peeps and a new IRL friend, Lindsey Nobles. It was good food for the soul.

Chuy's must really come to Huntsville, AL.  Really.  Their fish tacos are to die for.. and their chips and pico... no words.

I know absolutely no one here at Blissdom.  Nope.. nada.. have not met a single person before taking the dive into Blissdom 2010.  My roomie, Tammy will arrive tomorrow.. so I will at least have some chatter at some point the next few days.

It occurred to me today that it really is okay if I am not a professional blogger.  It's really okay if I am not a social media expert.  It is really okay if I know absolutely no one.. but Tammy and my bud @pamcase and my new IRL friend, Lindsey.

It really is okay that I am just a chick that is in love with Jesus, trying hard to follow after him; madly in love with my man, crazy about my kids and my family and can't manage without my coffee.  It really is okay that I am an executive administrator with lots of years of experience in the school of hard knocks and corporate America.  Cause that's me.

So it really is okay to meet new people, be who I am and open my mind to learning a lot of really amazing things.  No pretenses...

I got this cause He's got me,