Lent

I grew up in a church that did not practice Lent. In fact, I always thought that Lent was for Catholics, and I never thought twice about "giving something up" for Lent. That is until about two years ago. All my friends were doing it, so I thought I would give something up, too. I gave up shopping. I figured I could not shop for 40 days. No problem.

About ten days in, I found these fabulous lamps at Target. They were on sale for $5 each! How can you beat that, and they totally matched my room theme. I bought them without a second thought. Oh the crap I got from my friends! I didn't consider it shopping. In my mind shopping was buying clothes, but in their minds, shopping was buying anything that wasn't necessary. I was determined to go 40 days without buying anything, so I started my days over again.

The second time around I did much better. I made it to 20 days before I found a pair of cowboy boots that I JUST HAD TO HAVE! They were on sale for $7. How in the world could I pass that up? I knew it was wrong, and I even left the store without buying them. But the temptation was too strong, and I ended up going back to the store to purchase these fab boots!

By that time, it was almost Easter and I had failed miserably. I gave up trying to give up shopping altogether, and I was much happier after that. Last year I gave up sugar for 40 days, and I actually accomplished my goal and lost some weight in the process.

This year, I'm back at it again. As most of you know, Lent started this past Wednesday. I thought long and hard about the process this time around. Rather than just giving something up, I wanted to make sure that Christ was the focus of the ritual. I don't want to give up sugar just so I can lose some weight. I don't want to give up shopping just to save some money. I want to give up something that is very important to me so that when I feel the temptation to splurge, rather than giving in the temptation, I want to be able to call on Christ to help lead me away from the temptation.

This time more than the past two years, I really want my focus to be on Christ during this Lent season. After really thinking about it, I decided to give up the two very important things that I've already talked about: shopping and sugar.

If you know me, you know about my love for shopping. Over the past year, I've done some counseling on myself and I think I understand the "real" reason underneath my shopping habits. I know I can conquer this bad habit, and in fact, I've already deleted some emails I received with coupons or great up-coming deals. I can do this! I know my friend Nikki is laughing her head off right now, but Nikki, I can do this!

As for my love of sugar, this one is a bigger temptation on a day to day basis than shopping, which tends to be just be when I'm at the store. Sugar is all around me, everywhere I look, everywhere I go. I LOVE ice cream, and I love Peanut M&Ms. Why does it have to be so good. So far I'm on day number three of no sweets, and I'm doing pretty well. I've done this before, and I know the first several weeks are the hardest as I fight through the temptation. Whenever I feel the urge to eat something sweet, I stick in a piece of gum and ask God to give me the strength to say no. So far so good!

One last thing...I never really realized it until my friend pointed it out, but I eat out a lot. I go out to eat at least twice a week, and it's expensive. It's not because I can't cook; in fact, I'm a good cook, as is Shan, and we take turns cooking through the week. But it's more a social thing for me. We go out to eat after church, or I go out to eat with friends to catch up, or I'm out of time headed somewhere and I need to get something quickly. I'm determined to show my friend he's wrong about how often I eat out, so I'm also going to reduce my eating out habit to once a week. That's going to be tough, but I have to start saying no to some things.

What are you giving up for Lent? Share with me!

Loves Of My Life

I spent the afternoon in Loveland yesterday. Katie went back to work this week, so Collin is learning to adjust to having three little ones under his care at all times. I thought it would be fun to take a day trip to see the munchkins, and I couldn't go without Case! He LOVES his cousins, so I pulled Case out of daycare at 11:30 and off we went up North.

I took my bike with me. It was such a nice day, and Collin wanted to go for a ride, so I attached a burley to my bike, and Collin attached a burley to his bike. I pulled Case behind me. Collin had Kye in a seat attached to the bike and Carson and Corinne in the burely. It's crazy how much harder it is to ride with that much extra weight, and I gotta give props to Collin for pulling an extra 60+ pounds behind him. I probably only had about 30+ extra pounds on my bike. And Collin still kicked my butt!

I asked Carson why Kye got to sit in the seat attached to the bike and Carson had to ride with Corinne. To which he replied, "Well, when Corinne starts to cry, I'm the only one who knows how to put the bottle in her mouth. Kye doesn't know how to do that, so that's why I ride with Corinne. It's definitely not my favorite thing to do, but I guess I have to do it." Yes, people, he used the word definitely. Such a big boy!

We rode to the library to return some books, and then went to the park so the kids could play. Carson and Kye's best friends, Mason and Avery, were at the park, too, so they had double fun playing. We returned home with 12 miles under our belt, a sore bum and hungry tummy's. What's a better snack on a warm day than popsicles?!

I Trust You

Saying those three little words is almost as hard as anything else I've ever had to say. Why is that? Why is it so hard to trust? What is it about those words that makes us get a little uneasy?

As I was lying in bed last night drifting to sleep, I had a lot on my mind. I had been praying all day, asking the Lord to guide my life, to give me the wisdom to do what's right, to accept what the Lord had planned for my life. While in bed, I felt like the Lord was asking me to trust Him. I had a power struggle last night with the Lord. I WANT Him to be in control, but in order to do that, I have to trust Him and believe that he has my best interests at heart.

I finally said, "I trust you, Lord." What's interesting about that, though, is I felt like I had lost all control after saying those words. I was no longer in control of my situation. I had given all control to God by saying those words, and now I have to live by that. I guess that's what trust is all about: giving up control to the one whom you trust.

It's a little scary, I must admit. I don't mean to say that trusting God is scary because I know that ultimately His plan will succeed all other things. He's in control, whether I try to do it my way or not. I guess what I mean is it's a little scary to give up my part in the situation. I know that nothing I can do or say will change the outcome, but as humans, we like to think we play a role in our lives. What I'm learning more and more everyday is that yes, we do play a role and yes, we do make decisions on a daily basis that affect our lives, but the outcome is so much better, easier, less painful when we trust God and let His plan rule.

I will admit that even this morning I have tried to take the reigns back into my own hands. It's kind of like a tug of war with me and God. I don't mean it to be that way, but last night I gave it to God, and this morning I took it back. I am giving it back to God right now, but I'm sure in a little bit I'll try and take it back. It will be a power struggle for a while, I'll admit that. I don't like it that way, and I wish I could give it to God and never take it back from Him again, but I'm human. I have wants. I have desires. I have needs. I continue to think that I can do it by myself. But I can't. I know I can't. I know I don't want to.

I trust God with my life, and that's one of the hardest things, yet the simplest thing, I'll ever do.

Top Kissing Complaints

I found this article online, and it made me chuckle to myself. In case you're in a relationship, starting a new relationship, or wanting a new relationship, take these rules to heart!

A Sloppy Kiss is a Bad Kiss
If you don’t know if you are a sloppy kisser, it’s easy to find out. Does your girlfriend/boyfriend discreetly wipe off her/his face after a kiss? Does kissing feel more like a washing machine than a passionate embrace? If yes, try swallowing your saliva before starting to smooch!

You Suffocate the Other Person
Kissing your partner should leave them weak in the knees not unconscious. If you go in for too deep of a kiss and your noses block each other, there is a good chance you could be suffocating your partner. Without waiting for your beloved to turn blue, a good sign of this is if he or she is constantly pulling away from the kiss but also going back in for more. If this happens, simply adjust your kissing angle.

The Staring Complaint
Although some people prefer to keep their eyes open during a kiss, until you know what your partner prefers or is comfortable with, keep your eyes closed and enjoy the moment. You wouldn’t want your partner to open her eyes to find yours staring at her from centimeters away.

Timing is Everything
A big kissing complaint comes with timing. Although it can be romantic to spontaneously lean in for a kiss over dinner, be sure your date hasn’t just taken a bite of food or drink or is in mid-conversation.

The Location of the Kiss is Wrong
Generally, if it’s a first kiss opt for puckering up when the two of you are alone. This will cease some of the first-kiss-nerves. Later, you can see if your date is ready for a public display of affection.

The Kiss is too Small or too Big
A deep and passionate kiss is great but not if your date isn’t ready for it. If it’s a first kiss, lean in gently and test the waters. Once you’ve gotten to know the person and their style of kissing you’ll feel confident for something more.

Things I Love Lately

Inspired by my friend, Lindsey, here are some of my latest loves.

*Talking on the phone
*The amazing weather we've had in CO this winter
*Spending time with my nephews AND niece
*Peach Fresca (0 calories, 0 sugar)
*Lifting weights-I can see the muscles start to pop out on my back and arms
*My new scarves from Old Navy (gray and tan)
*Getting my hair done-the head massage they give is AMAZING
*Spin classes
*Being home by 4pm at the latest, even with a workout
*Happy Hour from Sonic every Friday afternoon (two drinks for $2)
*My new schedule, which includes NO homework and very little to do unless I plan something
*The Bachelor
*American Idol
*Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice
*Being liked by a boy!
*Coffee every morning on my way to work
*Taco Salads that I eat almost every day for lunch
*Getting a paycheck for my hard work at school
*Training for the MS150
*Eating dinner with Shan, Jeff and Case every night
*Skyping Collin, Katie, the boys and girl
*Saying that I now have a niece
*Target, but that's not a "new" love
*Spending time with my fabulous friends
*Having a window in my classroom
*Hanging out with my old classmates from UoP

Valentine's Day Weekend

I had such a FABULOUS weekend. Our dear friends, Corey and Abby, flew to Denver from Kansas to spend a wonderful weekend in the mountains with us. Friday night, we all (Sonya, Kari, Abby, Corey and I) drove up to Frisco where we had a condo reserved. We arrived around 9:30 and quickly put on our swimming suits to hit the hottub before it closed at 10. After the hottub, we stayed up for several hours catching up and laughing. Corey was a good sport hanging with the girls.

Saturday, we put on our skiing/snowboarding gear and headed to Copper Mountain for a fantastic day of skiing. We skied hard until about 1:30 and then spent some time in the lounge relaxing after that. My friend came up Saturday afternoon, and we all headed back to the condo to hit the hottub and pool for a bit. The six of us then had dinner at a Brewery in downtown Frisco, then we went to a little bar called Moose Jaw to have a drink on Valentine's Day. Corey and Abby headed back to the condo early, but Kari, Sonya, Rob and I spent a little bit more time at the bar before heading back to do the condo.

Sunday morning, we all woke early to hit the slopes for day two. All of us were sore and tired, so we only skied for about two hours on Sunday before heading back to Denver.

Corey and Abby-We miss you already! It was great to spend some time with you.

Me and Abby

Me, Abby and Kari

Abby and Me (again)

Me, Sonya, Kari and Abby

Deep Thoughts

I'm going to blog today. It's been a few days since I posted anything, so I decided to write a blog right now during my lunch break. Now, what should I write about? That is the question.

I have some random thoughts floating around in my head. Deep thoughts by Shi Town... Are you ready?

1. I think I'm going to have to change my phone plan to add more minutes. About two years ago, I had to change my text plan to unlimited because I text a lot. I went over by $70 once (on texts alone), so I knew it was time to go to unlimited. Now I'm going to have to change my minutes. I don't typically talk on the phone that much...Until now.

2. I was on the phone with someone last night and my brother called. I didn't answer. My brother called again. I didn't answer. After my initial phone conversation ended, I attempted to call Collin back. He didn't answer. As I was getting ready to call him again, he called back. He said he ignored me the first time because I had ignored him. He had called Shannon to see what I was doing and was told I was on the phone. It's not that this other person is more important than my brother. It's just that it's someone different than my brother.

3. Kari and I already have three other team members on our team for the MS150. Collin is signing up this week. Ben (Collin's best friend) signed up last night. Jeff (a friend from church) signed up. Anyone else want to join us for a 150 mile bike ride this summer?

4. I'll be done with my first sub assignment next week. I'll have a week vacation and then I start my second sub assignment March 3, which lasts until the end of the school year. Still haven't gotten a paycheck yet. Anyone have any extra money to send my way?

5. Case hates me. At least most of the time he does. Every once in a while he'll begrudgingly give me a little kiss on the lips, but most of the time he cries if I get too near or he'll yell "NO" and wave his arms at me if I get too close. This morning was one of those mornings. I went to say goodbye and ask for a kiss, and he hid his face and screamed NO!

6. I've been going to spin class two times a week. I've made a new friend, Tracy, who I'm trying to talk into doing a long ride this summer. Tracy and I like to hide in the back row. No one can see my fat bumm from back there.

7. How soon is too soon to put on a swimming suit in front of a guy you like? I think there should be a rule about this. For example, kissing on a first date is too soon. Meeting the parents after only a month is too soon. Getting engaged after six weeks is too soon. Having a honeymoon child is too soon. Shouldn't wearing a swimming suit before the first year of dating be TOO SOON? How can I put this rule into effect?