The Great Romance

Hello, and happy Thursday!  Summer school is OFFICIALLY over, so I'm busy enjoying my first true day of summer break :)  My mom got in to town last night, so we'll probably head to the beach for the day before enjoying a fun dinner out (I always save the local restaurants for when guests are in town so they can experience Daytona cuisine)!

For today's post, I wanted to recap the sermon series from my church during the month of June.  I love how this church does series throughout the month, which I think just ties everything together so nicely!  As you may remember, I was also in a play at church each Sunday during the month of June, conveniently titled The Great Romance (written by the youth director Tony Sorrell), just like the sermon series!  Each act tied in to the topic of the sermon for the week and flowed along quite nicely.

I decided to share the videos of the play with y'all (you don't have to watch them if you don't want!), as well as a brief description of the sermons from each week.  I was really excited to be a part of what God was doing through this sermon series at church, even though I'll never know the impact it had.  I hope you enjoy it and learn a little something about God, too!

Week 1: First Date

Scripture Verse: John 1:45-49

This week, the pastor talked about how first dates often start out with fear and presumptions.  In the same way, our guilt about our imperfections and sins leads to fear for many people meeting Jesus for the first time, just like in the Scriptures.  Jesus is after the heart of the person, which means we don't have to be fearful or guilty when we meet Him!  The pastor also challenged Christians to live in Jesus so that others will really meet Jesus, not just fear him or make presumptions about him.

Week 2: Professional of Love

Scripture Verse: 1 John 4:7-12

The pastor talked about how God professed His love for us in Jesus.  God sending Jesus changed everything--the sinners of the world matter.  There are so many times in the Gospels that Jesus associates with "the least and the lowest", going against the customs of those days.  That shows that God loves us all, no matter who we are or what we've done!  The pastor also referenced the passage Hebrews 10:24-25 that says we should "spur one another on toward love and good deeds."  The word "spur" in the original Greek translates to "irritate" or "provoke."  I thought that was an interesting way to think about it--sometimes, we as Christians need to irritate or provoke others to love each other and to good works.  Jesus loved unconditionally while he was on Earth, so we should strive to love like he does.  What a wonderful world that would be!

Week 3: Engagement

Scripture Verse: Matthew 4:18-22

This week, our associate pastor talked about how engagement involves taking a risk, since you don't know how exactly a proposal will turn out.  He told the story about his own proposal to his wife and how his plan wasn't exactly working out.  He also talked about how engagement involves a new point of view--a "we" mentality instead of "me."  When we say "yes" to God, we open ourselves to a whole new world.  Engaging with God means that we leave our old ways behind and take on His ways and look at the world through His eyes.  The pastor even referenced the song "A Whole New World" from Aladdin--that's what an engagement with God is like!

Week 4: Marriage

Scripture Verse: Philippians 2:1-5

(I apparently found this sermon really interesting because I took A LOT of notes on it!)  There were two themes to this sermon.  The first was that marriage is a covenant-a formal, solemn, binding agreement.  It's not a contract, where if one person doesn't hold up their end then the contract is over.  Our covenant relationship with God requires monogamy, giving our all to Him and putting Him first.  This shouldn't be serial monogamy-jumping in, then jumping out, then jumping back in-like we do quite often.  The second theme was being a witness.  At a wedding, the couple is a witness to God's love.  Not only are they showing their own love, but they are a witness to God's love covenant with us.  Jesus has already said "til death do us part AND BEYOND" by dying on the cross for us.  So, our response to the covenant relationship with God is to be a witness to his love.

Week 5: Renewal of Vows

Scripture Verse: Psalm 51:1-12

(no, that is not my husband, and no I did not really kiss him on the cheek--all acting :))
This week, we talked about needing a faith renewal.  What better way to do that than remembering the vows we made at our baptism?  Our pastor talked about a quote he read about "living wet", living the freshness of the moment of our baptism and those vows.  "Living wet" is living in relationship with Christ(not just visiting him), professing our faith and our love for God, being in an engagement with God (living in and engaging in His kingdom), and being bound to our Creator in love so people will see and know what God's love is.  Perfect way to tie together the whole sermon series!

I hope you enjoyed reading about the sermon series and watching the play (if you did).  I really enjoyed being a part of the worship service in this way, and as I said before, I really do pray that it spoke to people in a different way than just a sermon.  If you would like to listen to the sermons yourself (I really think the pastor at my church is wonderful!), you can download the podcasts from iTunes.  If you'd like to learn more about my church and the pastors there, check out the website!

WIAW #38: What I'm Snacking On

We've made to halfway through the week, people!  It sort of feels like Friday for me--after getting the kids to take their test today, I'm DONE with summer school and SUMMER BREAK CAN BEGIN!  To say I'm excited is a bit of an understatement :)

Enough about my excitement.  Wednesday means it's time for a blogland tradition...

Today, we're going to take a look at some of the snacks I've been eating lately.  Many of them come from NatureBox (referral link) (review of my first NatureBox here), and I've been getting a little more creative with how I've been using the snacks!

Thanks to Jenn for the link-up!!

PB&J Granola Yogurt Bowls

The granola goes perfectly in some vanilla Chobani Greek yogurt.  It's got a good flavor and adds the perfect crunch to the yogurt.  This is great for a snack, and it's also great for breakfast.

Sliced Peppers

I'll buy different colors of bell peppers, slice them up, and make little snack bags for myself.  These are a good little mid-morning snack.  Perfect for dipping in hummus or other spreads of your choosing!

Honey Macadamia Pretzel Pops

I requested these in this NatureBox, and man, they are just as good (and addicting!) as I remember!  The snacking on these didn't last long!

Dried Fruit

I've gotten a lot of dried fruits in the past two NatureBoxes: the Tart and Tangy mix, dried pineapple (yum!!), dried pears, and dried peaches.  This is a great way to get in a serving of fruit without having to worry about the fruit spoiling before you can eat it!

Fresh Watermelon

Recycled picture of a summer lunch!

I LOVE to get packages of pre-sliced watermelon spears during the summer.  It's a delicious way to eat something sweet while also being healthy!  The spears are also convenient to portion and slice up.

Cranberry Almond Bites

Oh MY these things are tasty!!  They are perfect when I'm craving a crunchy snack, and they are very filling!  I would love to be able to buy these in bulk and keep them around all the time.

Protein Bars

This shouldn't be a surprise, as these babies are a staple around our house!  They're perfect after school and before the gym.  Great fuel, and they're tasty, too.

Dunkin' Donuts Coffee Cake Muffin

It's dangerous living so close to a Dunkin' (and working close to another!) because I often stop for these in the afternoon.  The cinnamon and sugar are the perfect afternoon pick-me-up!

Well, that's what my snacks have looked like lately!  Overall, pretty healthy (minus the Dunkin' muffin) thanks to my NatureBoxes!  I seriously recommend you try them out if you've been thinking about it.  I feel like it's totally worth it, and you usually get a bonus snack thrown in there!

Disclaimer: I pay for a NatureBox subscription and am sharing my thoughts on their products because I love them.  NatureBox did not ask me for a review, nor did they compensate me in anyway--I'm just a happy consumer!!
Question for you: What are you snacking on?  Have you tried NatureBox?

Treadmill Tuesday: Avoiding the "Dread" in Dreadmill

How's it going, everyone?  Hope you're having a great Tuesday!  Today's the last day of teaching during summer school before testing tomorrow, so I'm really excited!  While I've enjoyed the classes I've had, I'm kind of ready to get in to the "break" part of "summer break."  Especially with everything I have planned over the next month :)

If you've been reading the blog for a while, you'll know that I've dubbed Tuesday "Treadmill Tuesday" and often do treadmill works on these days.  I actually enjoy doing it, even though I've kind of fallen off of the Treadmill Tuesday wagon since moving out of our apartment complex.  I thought I'd start bringing that tradition back in to my life and, therefore, back on the blog.

Since I enjoy the treadmill and many of you call it the Dreadmill, I thought that today we could talk about ways take the "dread" out of the Dreadmill and actually enjoy (well, not hate) the treadmill!

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Here are some tips for you on making a treadmill workout more enjoyable.  It certainly doesn't take a rocket scientist to come up with these, BUT I have found that they work for me so I thought I'd share them.

Complete a workout rather than just a steady-state run.  
Whenever I run on the treadmill, I usually have a workout I'm going to follow.  Whether it's an HIIT run or speedwork for half marathon training, I rarely ever just run at the same speed for a certain length of time.  The changing of speed every few minutes keeps me engaged in the workout and helps me set milestone goals while running on the treadmill.

 Here are some workouts I've put together before:3-5-7 Workout, Treadmill Speed Pyramid and Steady-Sprint Treadmill Workout.  Some other places I get my treadmill workouts from are PBFingers.com, FitSugar, and TinaReale.com.

Schedule your treadmill workout where you can watch a TV show or movie.
To me, treadmill workouts go by so much faster when I can focus on watching a TV show.  The treadmill in my apartment complex gym was perfect for this, and I would watch the Bachelor/Bachelorette while running on the treadmill.

Other options are using treadmills with TVs attached (many gyms have this) or bringing a device to watch TV shows/movies on Netflix/other website.

Perfect option when the hotel you are staying in has free WiFi!  Watching a movie/TV show really does make the time go by faster AND make the treadmill a lot more enjoyable!


Don't just run on the treadmill.
I've found that doing incline walking workouts helps to mix things up on the treadmill.  Incline walking workouts get your heart rate up and give your legs a little break from running.


Race the person next to you. 

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Seriously.  When I'm running on the treadmill at the gym and there's someone next to me, I look over every now and then to see what speed they're going at.  It's good motivation for me to keep pushing it and/or crank it up a notch.  Keeps things interesting, too!  I wonder if they ever notice...

Don't do long runs on the treadmill unless absolutely necessary.
The longer you run on the treadmill, the more boring and monotonous it becomes.  Unless you absolutely have to use a treadmill for longer runs, try to keep your treadmill workouts to 40 minutes.  Obviously, this is a personal preference, but if you dread the treadmill, keep the workouts shorter.

Make it fun for you!!  
Dubbing Tuesday "Treadmill Tuesday" excites me because it gives an alliterative purpose to Tuesdays, so that was motivating to me.  Other things might make a treadmill workout more fun for you, so come up with something that'll make you look forward to it.  It may just be a silly name, or you might need some sort of reward system to get you on the treadmill.  Do what works for you!

I hope these tips help you enjoy the treadmill a little more!  If you have any suggestions, please share them in the comments!!

Question for you: What do you do to take the "dread" out of "dreadmill"? 

A Weekend Full of Kids + ZOOMA Training Week 8

Well, hey there, everyone!  It feels like FOREVER since I’ve been able to post, thanks to a little mess-up with our router.  I had posts planned for Thursday and Friday, but I wasn’t able to get online since Wednesday night in order to publish.  Thankfully, the cable guy was able to come on Sunday and exchange our router.  Plus side: I guess I’m all set to go with posts for this week :) 

As usual on Mondays, let’s look at the weekend!  It was definitely a good one filled with lots of kids!!

Friday

Joe and I drove up to St. Augustine to see our friends Jacqui and Andrew from Georgia!  They were down on family vacation, so we spent the day on the beach with them, their two adorable boys, and Jacqui’s awesome parents and brother.

We brought Tequila along, and I was really excited to see how’d she’d do with her first beach visit.

As you can see, she was loving it!  She really enjoyed the sand, had a great time digging, and came around to going in the ocean.  

The waves scared her at first (at one point she put her leash in her mouth and started pulling ME back onto the shore), but she started actually wanting to go in to the water by the end of the day.

It was awesome to catch up with Jacqui and Andrew while on the beach, as well as meet their newborn Matt.  He’s just under 5 months old and is quite the precious little thing!  He spent a lot of the day on the beach sleeping, but we did get some time to play with him before dinner.

The fun continued by eating dinner with everyone at Sunset Grille.  The food there is delicious, so I suggest you try it out if you’re ever in St. Augustine!  At one point, Jacqui and Andrew’s almost-4-year-old Danny started becoming very fond of me!  He even came and sat between Jacqui and me at dinner and ran up to hold my hand when we were walking to the car after dinner.

Too cute!!  Joe and I drove back after a short walk on the beach, where we let Tequila chase Jacqui’s brother Charlie around in the sand.  So much fun!

Saturday

Saturday began perfectly in my eyes: with a good book and a cup of coffee.

I started this book last Monday, and I’m almost finished with it!  It’s really funny!  I have a post planned for multiple book reviews, so look for that if you want to hear more about this book!

Joe had a prospective student event at school he had to go to, so after reading, I got some “free lance” work done (all math and teaching related, but it’s outside of my school district).  I also wound up heading to Starbucks for some internet, lunch, and more coffee.  I also tried one of their new Fizzios (basically soda), and it was really tasty!

When I got home, Joe was there, so we spent some time at the pool next door before I had to head out to babysit!  A friend of ours who left the area gave my name to this family that she babysat for, and so on Saturday night, I went over and watched the two boys: a 4-year-old and an almost-2-year-old. 

We had a good time playing outside (they had a Little Tike trampoline that looked like a lot of fun!), colored, and playing tag.  Once they went to bed, I did some reading and watched Modern Family on hulu on their TV.  It was a fun time with the kids, and I made good money, too!  Good times!

Sunday

Another lazy morning, but this time I got to cuddle with the puppy.

 I wound up having to stay home in the morning so that the cable guy could come fix the internet, so I used the time to get some cleaning done.  My mom is coming to visit, so the house needs to be in tip-top shape!

I attempted to go on a long run in the evening, but the weather wasn't really cooperative.  I was able to get in just over 3 miles, but I was supposed to do 8.  No bueno, considering the ZOOMA Chicago Half Marathon is just 13 days away!

Our Sunday evening was spent watching the WWE Pay-per-view at a friend's house.  It seems like we were just over there watching one, and there's another one next month!  I wound up winning out $1 bet pool on the matches, so I felt pretty good about myself :)

Pretty fun weekend!  Lots of kids this weekend, lots of reading/relaxing, and lots of fun.

ZOOMA Training Week 8
I continued my write-my-workouts-in-my-planner strategy, and it seemed to work out (pun intended) for me again this week!
Monday-2.8 mile run around the neighborhood
Tuesday-Bikram yoga
Wednesday-3 mile speedwork run on the treadmill + BodyPump

Thursday-Bikram yoga
Friday-planned rest day, but we went on many walks while on the beach in St. Augustine
Saturday-unplanned rest day/lazy day
Sunday-3.43 mile run (instead of the 8 miles scheduled)

Overall, not a bad week of training, minus the lack of a long run.  This coming week, I'm going to be "tapering" a little, which means a 5-6 mile "long run" this coming weekend.  I will, once again, schedule my workouts in my planner.  This will be especially important because my mom will be coming to visit this week, which means not too much time to get in a workout.  We'll see how it goes!

Question for you: Do you have a lot of interaction with kids (your own, nieces/nephews, babysitting, friend's kids)?  What did you do this weekend?