From Fatness to Fitness

I have always been a relatively thin person, yet over the past few years, I let the stress of life plump me up until before I knew it, I was actually overweight - a word I thought would never describe me. In 2011, I heard a friend mention starting The Daniel Plan, a Biblical plan for healthy living.  I had never heard of such, so being the Googler that I am, I checked it out.  I was hooked. On December 31, 2011, I made the hasty decision to give up soft drinks for all of 2012.  Seeing as I had never kept a New Year's Resolution before, I thought this would be a tall order, yet I embarked on the journey anyway.  I decided to take a slightly different approach - I would make it a week-by-week resolution.  It seemed way more manageable than a whole year.  I messed up in March and drank a Sprite and continued drinking those until August when I threw in the towel on all soft drinks.

In addition to cutting out soft drinks, I tried to cut out most sugary foods, and I added Zumba to my life - thanks to my Sweet Santa Claus who brought it to me for Christmas.  Making these minute changes in my daily life made major changes on the scale.  Before I knew it, I had lost 28 pounds.  I felt better than ever.

YET, life got in the way and I gained somewhere between 15 and 20 pounds back (I cannot be sure because I couldn't find my original scale).

Either way, this year I decided to embark on a healthy living quest again.  I did not make any true New Year's resolutions this year, except to be an overall better person.  When I thought about that though, I asked myself - What does it mean to be a better person? I decided that meant that I needed to be healthier, make better choices regarding food and exercise, entrust my whole life to the Lord, and love people more.  I realized all these choices were related.  If I gave my life fully for the Lord, I would want to treat myself and others with more respect.  So with that, I embarked on another journey to health.

I began counting my calories - diligently - and began keeping track of my exercise.
In 2013, I have lost about 15 pounds (would have probably been more but I am gaining muscle) and have started exercising faithfully.  I took my first walk on March 1 and have only missed a few days since that time.  I signed up for a 5K for next Saturday in Baton Rouge. I eat better. And I encourage others to join me in my journey.

I believe from now on I will be dedicating my blog to my journey to living a better, healthier life because I belong to the Lord! I hope you will join me on my journey!!

If at first you don't succeed, keep on trying til ya get it

I am going for another attempt at blogging! Since I have last posted, my world has changed immensely, MORE THAN ONCE (or twice).

The past details are mostly irrelevant, however, to understand who I am today, I will give you a little bit of an update.
I started this blog in 2008 or 2009 to keep up with my adventures with Carnival Cruise Line. After I returned back to normal life on land, I pretty well forgot about my blogging adventures.  I guess I let life get in the way of sharing my details with the world. Or maybe it was Facebook that was my outlet of juicy details. Nonetheless. I am giving it a whirl.

I finished my Master's degree in 2010 and moved to Louisiana, as can be seen from my last blog posting.  In September 2011, I returned to Mississippi where I was miserable.  In August 2012, I started the grand adventure of working toward my Ph.D. at LSU. I guess God was playing a trick on me seeing as I had spent 25 years being a hater of purple and gold.  I came on down here though because I knew God was leading me here.  In the last month, God has turned my whole world completely upside down.  I can't do much discussing of that right now, however, as this process unfolds, I will tell more.

Gone, Gone with the Wind

Well hello blogging world. I haven't talked to you in a while.

Since I last posted, I interviewed for a 4-H Agent job with LSU AgCenter, was offered the job the next day, uprooted and moved to Louisiana, and am on my third week of working my job. This job is definitely everything I thought it would be. A lot of people get into their "dream" job and find out that it is not so dreamy. I, on the other hand, have so far found my job to be just as dreamy as I had hoped. Well, maybe dreamy isn't the proper word for it. But it definitely meets my expectations. I am pretty happy.

The town I live in now is super small and there is not a whole lot going on. I don't have (m)any friends yet.......but I am going out to eat with some people from church tonight and hopefully will make some friends there. Overall, I am pretty happy with this move.

It's a beautiful day, not a cloud in sight

Hey there world (who probably doesn't read my blog anyway),
Since I talked to you last, I have finished up all 4 of my spring classes, 1 class in May, and two in June, finished my comps, and am now just waiting on my degree to be conferred.
I have been pretty useless since I finished school.
I have gone to 3 states that I have never been to (Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio).
I also have been somewhat offered a job and it fell through so now I am beginning a part job in Starkville, and looking for a temporary place to live.

It's Been a While

It seems like an eternity ago when I last posted on here, but I decided to get back to writing. Maybe my blogging won't end with this post.
Since I last wrote, I have finished one semester of grad school and almost done with my second. I finish my Master's Degree in 98 days and this is exciting.

Ever more so, my life is an adventure. I have applied for 5 Extension jobs in Texas yet haven't heard anything back yet. Not shocking though.

Speaking of adventure, I got a text from a friend on Tuesday who had gotten his truck in the mud. I recruited another friend who has a truck to help him get his truck out. In the process of trying to get to the first truck, the truck I was in got stuck. Therefore, we were required to recruit more help, only for that truck to also get stuck. Whew, the pandemonium already. Then another truck came out to help only to get stuck while pulling the third truck out of the mud. While one truck did get rescued, we still had 3 trucks stuck. After about 4 hours of using the tractor, wench, and come-along, the third truck came out of the mud. At midnight we were exhausted and left the first two trucks stuck in the mud. I was told that the next day while trying to get back to the trucks to pull them out, the ATV got stuck. What a nightmare. Either way, all 4 trucks were saved and it makes a nice story to tell.

The cry of my heart!!!!

Among The Thirsty - I'd Need A Savior
From the album Wonder

How many names can I use to explain the love of my Jesus,
the life that he gave and so many times will I praise you today.
I lift up my life ‘cause you’re always the same
And my offering to you I bring

Chorus:
Your name is Jesus. Your name is Jesus.
You’re the Wonderful, Counselor, my Friend.
You’re what I hold on to; I know that you brought me through
All the days of loss, to the cross you knew
I’d need a Savior.

How many songs can I sing to proclaim your wondrous love and beauty so great?
What would I say if you brought down the rain and everyday
I walk through the pain my heart would still say…

Chorus:

You’re what I hold on to; I know that you brought me through
All the days of loss, to the cross you knew
I’d need a Savior.
I’d need a Savior
I need you, Savior

This song more than describes the cry of my heart right now!!! I have been straying from the Lord, being involved in sin that I could not seem to shake. I have been wrapped in chains that I wanted out of but wouldn't cry out for God's grace to cover me and break them. Last night for the first time in a long time, I cried out to my Savior. I cried for His grace to cover me. To rid me of the sin in which I have been dwelling. I desire to break free. I need God's strength to cut me out and bring me back to the narrow path in which I should be walking. More than ever, God knew I'd need a Savior. He rescued me last night. And I am thankful that He will continue to rescue me. He is my knight in shining armor.

My Awakening

I have been home from the ship for 35 days now!!!! 5 weeks today!!! When I left the ship, I felt like I would be coming home to a life that would be peaches and roses, although I wasn't so silly to actually believe that 100%. However, I thought it would be much easier to live for Christ at home, with family and friends who believe in the same Savior I do. What I found when I came home though, was that living for Christ no matter where is hard. I have found that my heart has been hardened. I have realized that the person I am being is definitely not who God wants me to be. I miss my fellowship with God. But instead of seeking out ways to find my Savior, I have ignored it. I haven't gone to church as much as I thought I would, and when I did go, I didn't pay attention much. I haven't prayed. I haven't read my Bible. Overall, I have become numb.
I have had some divine appointments lately though that have opened my eyes to see that this woman has a purpose, a calling in life, and I am wasting it. Then, I went to church tonight and God broke the ice around my heart. The scripture of the night:

This is where God broke my heart. If I can't humble myself and pray, and seek God with all I have, and turn from my own sin, how in the world can the other people in this world find Christ. I have a duty in this world to be passionately seeking Christ and showing the world this Savior. Instead, I have been sitting still, as if there is not a lost and dying world. I just left a ship of 1000 crew members, and maybe 10% of them have a relationship with Jesus. There were 55 nations represented right there, on that vessel where I spent 3 months of my life. I didn't have to go out to the nations. God brought them to me. And I wasted it. I am tired of wasting this life. I am tired of being numb. I want to be awakened, to fight. to serve.

Quotes from Brock Lillis, an evangelist from Tennessee:
"You can be dunked under the water so many times that you know the fish by their first name and still be lost."

"Without God you are like a car without gas. NOTHING."