Here's to a Change

So my motto for this year has been “No sloppy living!”

I have to confess I forgot about that motto over the summer. It was too much fun lazin’ by the pool with friends and havin’ late night girl time with a bowl of ice cream. Think about it - 2009 is only 120 days away! Yikes!

So I’m back in the groove. Trying something new!

I’m getting up between 5-5:30am to get a jump on my day. (I love it!)
God has been so gracious to wake me up singing His praises over me.
I have my prayer and quiet time early.

It’s all good except I’m sure I look a fright at that hour when I see Hubby out the door. (Sorry Hubs)
Oh yeah, I’m using a new facial cleansing system.
And I’m pondering that hair color.

Here’s the biggie!
I’m working out.
Drinking water by the bottles.
I’m writing every spare moment I get.
And I’m dog tired and falling asleep by 10pm. (I hate this!)

I think before long Hubby won’t even recognize me. Shoot, I might not even recognize myself. I’ve never been an early riser. Oh, I do love my late nights. That darn motto!

“You’ll never change, until you change!” I heard that quote months ago on a Will and Grace Show and it is so true. I'm singing that Brady Bunch song. You know the one -- come sing along. "When it's time to change, you have to rearrange - who you are and what you want to be." Don't forget the best part now -- "Sha na na na na na na na na. Sha na na na na!"

So . . . Here’s to a change and NSL!

I’m amazed I’ve done well for four days! Yes, you can laugh!!! I am.

How are your 2008 goals coming? Do you remember what they are? Just checkin'!

Sha na na na na ~

Pep Rallies

What do you think of when you think of pep rallies? I think of great times, not only from when I cheered but also from years of my daughter cheering. Pep rallies. How can you not be charged up after a pep rally? They are designed to spur on enthusiasm and zeal in whatever arena the rally is held; football, work, political events, etc. My children even have a big pep rally before a big test at school. It gets them motivated to go and do their very best.

I consider Sunday’s a spiritual pep rally. Sunday should be a day of celebration where you come together to motivate one another and to encourage the lost soul walking through the doors of a church for their first time. A spiritual pep rally, wouldn’t that just be awesome if every Sunday was just that? Ah, come on – you know you’d love it.

However, after a pep rally something happens. You don’t just have a pep rally for the sake of having a rally. No, it is to get you fired up about getting in the game and giving it your all.

If Sunday was a spiritual pep rally then you would be motivated and enthused about spending the rest of your week giving life all you had. Getting in the game of life and getting serious about winning. Day in and day out disciplines are what win the game.

So many times though, it is easier to live from spiritual pep rally to spiritual pep rally and never attempt to get in the game. Never attempt to train daily. Never attempt to walk daily with the Lord. You just wait for another pep rally.

Nothing is ever really learned just living pep rally to pep rally. Shoot! Because I could so do that. I could live from one enthusiastic moment to the next enthusiastic moment. However, that is not the life God called me to live. It is not a real life, nor would it relate to others.

I love pep rallies, but it’s time to train daily and give life my all.
Time to tackle all those daily disciplines that will help me be all God called me to be.

How about you – could you use a pep rally?


Ready? OK!

Rah Rah Ree – Be All that God called You to Be!

All Those Spokes

Thank you for your comments to 10 Small Changes. You’ve really got me thinking.

The small changes I listed were things that I could implement as I went through my day to help me achieve the health goals I had set.

I enjoyed your comments because they made me mindful that when I’m out of balance, something suffers. Just like the bicycle I use to have, when the spokes got lose or warped it was not a smooth ride. When I am out of balance what suffers can be my spiritual walk, my physical health or even my family relations.

I view my time with God the hub of all my spokes. That has become the easiest priority for me to keep, only because I battled with it for so long. Self-discipline, ooooh that is tough.

Right now, I feel pretty balanced especially after adding my ten small changes. However, I know it is probably just a matter of time until I’m off center again. In my life, balance seems to come in seasons; I’ll do pretty good, then I waiver, and then crash because my spokes are out of round. Hallelujah, I learned years ago to make God the center hub. It's because of Him I don't totally wipe out.

Daily maintaining the spokes regarding my spiritual, physical, emotional and relational goals is a challenge. It does seem that some days I am out of balance. Thanks for the reminder – I’ll start looking for those loose spokes now. Anybody have a wrench?

How about you, adjusted any spokes lately?



Keep the comments coming – drawing at the end of the week, see Blog Party 2008. Also, you can hop over to Makeover Monday’s for another drawing taking place. Too much fun!

Ten Small Changes

No sloppy living. Claiming those three words for my 2008 motto has been a challenge. My spiritual, emotional and relational life balance has been good; however, my discipline for a healthy lifestyle has been poor. Urgh! Really poor, as in today was the first day I’ve been to the gym.

But I went, yea me! While I was there I listened to a lady talk about small changes. She said instead of making huge drastic changes, just change little things. She challenged us to make a list of ten things we could change right now that would make a difference.

My List of Ten Small Things:

_____Take my vitamins
_____Eat a healthy breakfast
_____Limit my coffee intake
_____No salt, fried foods, sugar, breads, or desserts
_____Eat at least three servings of green, leafy vegetables and two of fruit
_____Do not eat after 6:00 p.m.
_____Schedule tomorrows exercise into my calendar
_____Plan a healthy weekly menu
_____Exercise for at least 30 minutes
_____Drink eight bottles of water

I had to put my list in check-off form. You know how I love those check marks.

Do you have suggestions for small changes that will make positive life-long differences?

Here’s to another healthy day tomorrow.

Happy Leap Day!

I sit here tonight with mixed emotions. Tomorrow I take Blake to UTSA and leave him for an overnighter. I must be crazy. Hubby keeps reminding me, he is 18, after all! Anyways, Blake will get to ask all those questions he has and get familiar with the campus. He is excited, he is ready, but mom . . . she’s sad. :(

Days are passing too fast. Tomorrow is Leap Day, ALREADY! Twenty-four extra hours, what to do?

If you were with me back at the end of the year, I had focus. My motto for 2008 was going to be “no sloppy living.” I think in some areas I’ve succeeded, but in a few I have failed terribly. Urgh – terribly!

Tomorrow, Leap Day, as Lindsey and I drop Blake off at UTSA we will head to a resort for 24 hours of quiet, reflective time. We’ve been book shopping the past few days and she is stocked up. Lindsey will be reading “Princess Diaries” and I’ll be reviewing my 2008 goals. I will finish working through Chazown, a book my friend Kristen recommended.

I have to admit, I stalled out in the beginning of that book because he says you need to begin your journey with the end in mind. That end he refers to is the end of your life and he takes you through an exercise of writing your epitaph. I’m just stumped. Don’t want to do it!

Today I got a new book, One Month to Live, thanks to my bloggy friends Dawn and Amy. The title alone grabs my attention as I want to live beyond myself, rippling here and there. Being an on-purpose person.

This weekend I hope to be refreshed with enthusiasm and energy to return to “no sloppy living.” I’ll even try that epitaph exercise again!

Here’s to Leap Year, my friends!
What will you do with your extra day?

Take your son to college? Steel away some quiet time? Write your epitaph?

If you are doing something more glamorous, I’d love to hear about it!

NSL 2008

Have you ever had a sentence spoken by someone grab you and not let you go? Maybe you were talking to a friend or sitting in a Sunday service when out of the blue words spoken stick to you like glue. You can’t shake them loose – I’ve tried. As I sat in the Christmas Eve Musical service at Bay Area enjoying every moment and touched by the musicals message, Pastor Bil begin to speak. I have to confess I don’t remember the whole message because somewhere in the beginning he said in passing “This is not a spectator life – get in the game.” There it was the sentence that would captivate my mind for days. I don’t want to live a spectator life. I want to be in the game; training hard, running hard, and working hard.

1 Corinthians 9: 24-27 MSG “You’ve all been to the stadium and seen the athlete’s race. Everyone runs; one wins. Run to win. All good athletes train hard. They do it for a gold medal that tarnishes and fades. You're after one that's gold eternally. I don't know about you, but I'm running hard for the finish line. I'm giving it everything I've got. No sloppy living for me! I'm staying alert and in top condition. I'm not going to get caught napping, telling everyone else all about it and then missing out myself.”

No sloppy living for me. WOW! That will be my motto for 2008. How about you? Do you have a motto for 2008? I’d love to hear about it!

Happy New Year and NSL – no sloppy living.