100 Possibilities Project

I'm excited and nervous for this one. I'm starting a photography challenge! I read about it on the i heart faces blog, and loved the demo pics. I can only dream that mine will look like that. But after a few days of consideration I finally picked my object that I will be, my wedding shoes!!!

This btw is not one of mine it is one of the wedding photographers, but I will be posting mine shortly (hopefully.) I'm excited I hope I learn a lot about my camera and the real way to use it!!

A new Green Challange!

Ryan and I are taking this together starting on Monday I'm so excited! Its just what I need to get back to my old healthy eating self and to convince Ryan how amazing you feel if you change your eating habits. This is honestly what spurred my whole "greenie" ways. I've strayed lately but I'm VERY excited to get back to it. So here are the details if you want to join us:

We will begin on August 17 and end on September 17.
Here is what you are committing to:
~Drink at least 16 oz. of green smoothie per day (a quart would be even better!)
~Do some sort of activity every day. This could be an intense workout, or just dancing with your kids around the living room. It could be a 15 minute yoga session or a walk around the block.
~Add a green leafy salad to your lunch or supper (with light dressing…stay away from the creamier sauces).
~Stop drinking pop.
~Cut out all white sugar. (This will be the hardest for me.)

If you want more info on the challenge or some quotes from people who did it last year here is the link: Happy Foody Green Smoothie Challenge - 2009
for tips and tricks go here: Green Smoothie Challenge Tips

Comment if your going to join! I'm sooo excited!!! I'll be posting about our progress as we go.

Easter Challange

I had something very exciting happen this weekend. I was challenged, and not just by anybody but by my future husband. I've been praying for a man that would challenge and help cultivate my faith, and boy do I have one!





I called Ryan Easter morning (he had to work early) and not too far into the conversation he asked me why today was any different than any other day as a Christian. This perplexed me at first, what could he mean by that it was EASTER after all "He is Risen!" I stumbled over my answer in till I understood his meaning. Later after I had time to wake up and process what he was asking me I e-mailed back a response here it is:





"Your right today in the big picture of life isn't any different than yesterday. However even I a "good Christian" (in saying that statement I have judged people as worse than I and put myself up on a pedestal.) Don't remember His death and resurrection the way I should. I go through most days without praying, without being in his word, without acknowledging him at all.... When people ask me to defend my faith I often can't give them a Biblical reference for what I believe I just know "its in there somewhere." (huh, maybe not such a 'good Christian' after all.) These are things I'm working on, and have been for a while (I'm honestly hoping that you will help with this.) So isn't it a good idea to take one day aside every year to remember the basis of our faith? To hopefully spur us on to remember this day continually so that it isn't a big deal next time? Heck isn't that the point of communion that we have lost when it becomes a ritual? So many parts of our faith have become a ritual we have lost the meaning behind it all. "





This just breaks my heart. I'm never going to stop celebrating Easter, that was not the point of the question. The point is that why MUST we have a big celebration to remember this? This is the foundation of our faith, Christ dying for our sins. How could we ever forget that??? But we do, often, I know I do.





I want yesterday to be a new start for me. From now on I don't want to go through one single day without acknowledging God and what he has done for me. This could be prayer, worship, study, or remembrance. I not only want others to see a difference in me I want to see a difference.





So please check in on me, ask me how I'm doing and if you want let me know and I will do the same for you. Also notice on the side I've added a prayer request list, please if you feel lead pray for those Items and feel free to comment to this post with prayer requests of your own.

God or TV?

First let me start this by saying I do not think TV is evil (that can be a debate for another time.) I have my list of shows that I watch every week. However I do think it can be a distraction from things that are truly important. I was challenged this weekend by a Sermon I heard, and the application for my life came down to this: God first TV (music, books, etc) second. I tend to wake up grab my laptop and turn on a TV show or music. Well starting next week Tuesday (I will be traveling until then and everything will be crazy) I'm going to change that. I don't get to do anything 'secular' until I've done something with God (Pray, Praise, time in the Word, etc.)

The basis for this decision is actually quite simple, like I said above it is from a sermon I heard this weekend. The pastor did a pretty common subject 'Are we focused on God or the world.' However the way he presented it just seemed to impact me more. One of the things he said really hit me and to be honest I feel silly admitting it. He said " People have and influence over you-the more time you spend with Christ the more you will be like Him." Well duh, that is something we have all heard since elementary school ' pick your friends carefully' As an adult I thought I was above all of that. I could submit myself to anything and since I was grown up it wouldn't influence me. Read Matt 15:1-20 and focus in on these verses:

17"Don't you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? 18But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man 'unclean.' 19For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. 20These are what make a man 'unclean'; but eating with unwashed hands does not make him 'unclean.' "

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We get so caught up sometimes in the traditions of our faith, that we ignore our faith.

So will anyone join me? I'm not asking for you all to commit to devotions in the morning or a specific amount of time. I just want to take time for God first and then make sure I'm watching my influences.

Use it all up Challange

How many of us have multiple bottles of everything in our bathroom?

Well I do and It took two boxes to move all of that. What better way to de-clutter our lives than to use up all the stuff I already have. So here is my challenge to you (and myself:)

Don't buy any new lotions, soaps, or shampoos until you use up ALL that you have. Go through your stash and throw out anything that is expired or that you will never use, and get rid of some of the clutter in your life.

I'm going to take this a step further myself, I'm going through my whole house room by room and throwing out anything I don't need, or use. Now this is strange for me because before I moved up here I did the same thing. But now that I'm here there are boxes in my basement that I haven't even opened so obviously I still have more stuff than necessary. Its amazing how many things we think we need but really we don't. I hope that by the time I move back up north I've significantly cut down on my clutter and also my desire for "stuff."