She is Free Spotlight: Jorie

In January, I promised myself to get back to blogging regularly. It's an outlet for me, and I feel like I can work through a lot of emotions by writing.

However, today's emotion isn't hard....it's easy. And it's happy!

This year, I really want to take some time to spotlight the ladies that are working hard in the She is Free Studio. They have decided to make the investment in their health and have experienced inside-out transformation. God is really working in the lives of these women, and I'm excited to share their stories with you.

This month, I want to introduce you to Jorie. She took on the workout program that has 100 workouts in it, called Morning Meltdown 100. I asked her a few questions, and I want to allow you to listen in on our conversation.

Before you started working out with Beachbody On Demand, what were your hesitations and how were you feeling?

Jorie: Honestly, I hated working out. I hated the feeling of getting out of breath (still not really a fan of that! Haha!) and it just seemed daunting. Like it would take forever to see or feel any changes. I’ve started other workout stuff before but never finished....I’d miss a few days or it’d be the same thing over & over and I would just lose all momentum so I’d give up. But I felt “blah”. I wasn’t happy at all with how I felt, lack of energy, strength, endurance, etc. I was tired constantly and never felt

like playing with my kids if it took a lot of energy.

What made you want to do Morning Meltdown 100?

Jorie: I really liked that it was a variation of workouts. If it’s the same exact thing every single day, I get bored and quit. And to be honest, I needed something “big” to kick myself into action. I’ve never done anything close to 100 workouts...[I like to remind Beth that when I joined BOD, I asked her for basically the easiest program there was]....and I really wanted to challenge myself. I was tired of being tired. I wanted a change.

What kept you going?

Jorie: Part of what kept me going is that I’m stubborn. Once I started, I wanted to prove to myself I could actually do it! But also, I was amazed at how quickly I started to feel better and stronger and just more energy all around, so I wanted to keep at it for sure! Really though, the biggest motivation was the accountability group Beth started for it! There were MANY days I had no motivation to continue but those girls kept showing up and kept ME wanting to show up! I could not have done it without them!

What are you most proud of?

Jorie: The fact that I actually did it! So many days it was a mental fight to push play, but I knew I needed to do it. For myself, for my health, for my family....and some days you just have to do it even when the motivation isn’t there at all!

How do you feel now?

Jorie: I wouldn’t say I absolutely LOVE working out, but I enjoy it so much more than I ever thought I would! It’s become a stress reliever, a place I can clear my head. It makes me rely on God so much more to be my strength, especially on those days I’m not feeling it at all, because without HIM I couldn’t do any of this! I feel stronger than I ever have before in my life, healthier than I ever have before and I have energy and strength to enjoy my kids, have fun with them, play with them and carry them all over the place.

What have been your results?

Jorie: I didn’t lose much weight, and that was a huge mental thing I had to get over. We have become SO trained in this society to care about numbers and only numbers....please know that I’m not discrediting weight loss. Obviously, a healthy weight is extremely important! But I have spent so many years obsessed with that and only that. I would do whatever it took to get those numbers to drop, even extremely unhealthy choices. The weight would drop but I wasn’t healthy. So, this program did more for me mentally than I could’ve ever even imagined. I finally broke those chains of an obsession with numbers. I was losing inches and gaining strength. I KNEW I was getting healthier even if the scale didn’t drop. I knew I was building muscle!

I dropped a total of 7 inches ~ 4 of those inches were my waist! My clothes fit better and more comfortable and they fit in a HEALTHY way for the first time in my life and that motivates me more than anything else to keep going! I want my kids to see a model of healthy. True health, not what society says is health. I want my daughter to see that strong IS healthy. Strong IS beautiful. And strong and healthy is honoring to God as we learn to take care of the bodies He has blessed us with!

I’ve moved on to a new program now and am excited to see my health journey continue! Thank you, Beth, for being an amazing coach. For helping me, challenging me, encouraging me, motivating me and believing in me! I could NOT have taken that first step without you! Thank you for walking this journey with me!

Coach Note:

I am extremely proud of this girl. She has become such a wonderful friend to me. And to think that we met through Instagram! How crazy is that? To see how the Lord is working in her life--breaking the chains--and to see her walking in that freedom is truly incredible and an answered prayer! I truly cannot wait to see how He keeps transforming her as she walks in His Light!

New Mommy and Daddy Hospital Survival Kit

A while back, our friends from our small group had their first baby.

I wanted to do something a little special for them, but I didn't exactly know what.

Our small group showered them with diapers, but I wanted to do something else.

I had questioned the husband to see if his wife had received anything that was just for her.

He said no, so I proceeded with my idea.

I had questioned my Instagram friends...because they are a wealth of knowledge.

Seriously...a lot of them have had babies and they knew exactly how to reply to my question.

Enter the idea of a "New Mommy and Daddy Hospital Survival Kit."

I knew that I wanted to give the new mommy something special, but I just had to include some things for the new daddy as well.

I mean, it wouldn't be fair if I didn't. :)

Here's what I included for the new mommy:

Deodorant

Kleenex

Wisps

Body Wash

Shampoo and Conditioner

Q-tips

Mouth Wash

Hair ties/headbands

Facial Wipes

Loofah

Chapstick

Chocolate

What I included for the new daddy (and I'm sure he shared):

Animal Crackers

Gatorade

Granola Bars

100 calorie snack packs

Fruit Snacks

They were so appreciative of it, and the new mommy told me that she had several of those things on her list to go buy.
I was excited to help out.
The cute bag was actually a "garden bag," but it was perfect for the project!

Our 4th of July

Last Wednesday evening, Tyler and I headed down to Southwest Missouri.

We were headed to my parents' house to hang out for the weekend.

And by golly, it was a much needed weekend.

I have to admit...I wasn't around my phone much, so I only have a few pictures to share.

But I also admit that it was good to get away from social media for a few days.

We got a head start because we both got off work early.

I was thankful...I like to drive in daylight more than the dark.

I captured these pictures coming home Wednesday evening...somewhere between Marshfield and Lockwood.

We made up our own little shooting range in the backyard.

I think it was genius...but maybe because it was my husband's idea. :)

And I finally got to shoot my pink AR.

I know...y'all are jealous.

Well, you can come over and I'll take you shooting sometime. :)

I tried to work out a little bit while I was home.

I wanted to keep up with my Betty Rocker workout, which has been killer.

I've really been working on my form rather than reps.

It's been really good for me.

I walked only a couple of days.

I really hate walking the gravel roads, but it was a gorgeous week so I was going to take advantage of it!

On the actual 4th of July, we had no where to be.

So we hung out at Sonic and ate supper together. :)

I loved it.

Our party was on Saturday.

Every year since 1999 (or maybe before) and with the exception of the year 2011 (we got married), my parents' have hosted a 4th of July party.

My uncle buys the best fireworks and gives us a show.

He loves fireworks...it's like his Christmas.:)

We invite my Dad's family and my Mom's family...and a few friends scattered in there.

We have some of the best food around.

This year was no disappointment.

We had fantastic food, and what I would say were the best fireworks ever.

Seriously fun stuff.

We also had some yard games, which were so fun to play!

It was a wonderful weekend.

I loved being home and being with family.

There's no place better to be.

This week, I'm back to the grind.

It's hard to come back from a long weekend.

Did y'all have a good weekend?

What kind of fun did you have?

My Cup Overfloweth

Random...yes.

List...yes.

My favorite...yes.

1.  I had the best weekend in a long time.  My momma got to come up to visit, which I talked about here.  It was awesome!  I was so glad that I didn't have to tell her good-bye until I went to work on Monday morning...because that meant more time to be together on Sunday night {when usually, she'd probably be making the 4.5 hour trek home}.

2.  My momma spoiled me while she was here.  SPOILED me!!!  She made supper on Saturday night so when Tyler came home from Saturday night service {he was playing in the praise band} we could all eat together.  She helped me clean my kitchen.  On Sunday, she helped me do laundry and cleaned some more.  She washed my dishes, folks.  Like...in the sink kinda wash. Whoa.  I hate washing dishes.  That's why a dishwasher was a requirement on our apartment hunting list {and will be on our house hunting list}.  She even took me to urgent care on Saturday morning.  I can't say this from a parent's perspective, but I can from a child's perspective.  There is nothing like a mother's love.  NOTHING. No one {no one!} can compare to that kind of love.

3.  I absolutely love our small group.  AH!  Last night we went to the Cardinals game together.  It was so neat to just have everyone sitting together enjoying {or pretending to enjoy} the game.  Tyler and I have been blessed immensely by this group already.  I am excited to have married couple friends! :]  That didn't happen in Springfield...

4.  I met two {two!} of my Instagram friends in real life last night.  Woo!  I met them several months ago on IG, before we had even moved to the St. Louis area.  I was so excited to see them in real life!  It was awesome!

5.  I love having nights where we don't have to do anything but stay home.  I also love nights where we have things to do.   Contradictory?  Maybe...but I think it's all about an even balance.  Tonight is one of those "stay home and snuggle on the couch and catch up on Parenthood" kinda nights.

6.  Today is Wednesday!  Already!  Where has this week gone?  I feel like the last several weeks have flown by. Crazy!

7.  Have you memorized your verse?  I am really learning that God can do immeasurably more that I ever hoped or imagined (Ephesians 3:20-21)!  My next verse that I'll be learning is Micah 6:8:

"He has showed you, O man, what is good.  And what does the Lord require of you?  To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God."

Want to join in?  It's never to late to start hiding God's Word in your heart!  Have no idea where to start?  Let me know!  I have a few verses that are great starters!

Ok, I think that's it.

My heart is just overflowing from God's goodness.

I am so blessed.

How have you been blessed this week?

Blessed

I had just about the best weekend. ever.
It was really good!!

It was such a beautiful Friday evening.
We ended up just hanging out together,
watching Shark Tank, and eating ice cream. :]
Oh, and I made brownies for our outing on Saturday night...
I LOVE that I found a Bible verse on my egg carton...
I'm loving Aldi a little more each day.

On Saturday morning, we went to go see Tyler's grandparents.
They really aren't too far from us {about an hour and 45 minutes}.
It was a beautiful drive.
Being in the city, we don't get to see the changing of the crops.
The beans are changing into that pretty gold color and the milo is a dusty red.

I do love this sign that we saw. :]

Saturday afternoon, our Life Group was getting together for a little party.
A guy from our group was kind enough to invite us out to his family's house.

We even got to go in a cave.
It was sweet!

We even saw a couple of bats!  
They are really interesting creatures...

We finished off our night with a hayride {to the cave and back} and roasting some marshmallows for s'mores over the fire.
It was an absolute gorgeous day and night for our party.
We really couldn't have asked for a better day.

I love spending time with these new friends and getting to know them better.
God really knew the desires of my heart.
He gave us these people with the same interests as us.
He may tell us to "wait" when answering our prayers.
That's really hard...and y'all know that I struggled with it for a long time.
But He has THE best plan.
He had a better plan than I ever could have hoped or imagined.
He did immeasurably more than I could have hoped or imagined. (Eph. 3:20-21)

I just can't tell you or explain how full my heart feels.
I am so excited to see what God has in store for us here.
I can tell it's gonna be great!

Today has been very relaxing.
Church was wonderful.
Lunch was wonderful.
As we were trying to figure out what to eat {we need to go to the store}, Tyler got excited as he figured out he could make his chili.  So he did.
It was good...and perfect for this chilly day.

Oh yeah, we woke up to very chilly weather.
It was amazing.

This afternoon, I made us a breakfast casserole for the week.
I like to use Sundays as days to "gear up" for the week ahead.
I try to get all the lunch stuff ready, so all we have to do is "grab and pack."
I decided to make a yummy casserole for breakfast so I don't have to wonder what I'm going to eat.

I used this recipe, but this time I put sausage, mushrooms, and green pepper in it.
It is yummy. :]

How was your weekend?  Did you do anything special? 
Tell me about it!!

Happy Monday!

New Beginnings

Last night I got a reminder of how life was before our move.

Of how life will be from here on out.

We finally hung out with our {new} friends Kelsey and Steven.

We met Kelsey while we were in college and actually had geology class with her.

We hadn't met her husband until last night.

Y'all, they are a genuine couple.

The love they have for the Lord and each other is unmistakable.

I pray that this will be the start of something fabulous!

Goodbye loneliness and homesickness!

This week has just been a good one for new friends!!

Random Thought Thursday...

...I've been thinking so much and have wanted to write so much, but it's all a jumbled mess. 
So here goes!

• I've been blessed abundantly.  When I'm feeling sad or lonely, I just think of all the good things God has given to me:  a place to live, a job, a husband, the financial resources to pay bills, etc, etc, etc.  He is good.  All the time.
• My husband has been a HUGE blessing to me this week.  I've been trying a different night time routine, and when we've come home from some late-ish nights {or just past the time that my nightly routine was supposed to start}, he's helped me out!
• He also bought me the most beautiful flowers this week to cheer me up.  I had to go to the dentist.  I hate the dentist.  Not her personally, just what they do.  He had met me there and was about to leave.  I couldn't say anything to him because I was about to cry.  Yes, I was dreading it that much.  Then I came home to these.  I'm thankful he knows me. :]
  
  
  
  
  
• Do you ever wonder if you've said too much?  I've been thinking about that all day.  Sometimes I wonder if I should have just kept my mouth shut...or at least filtered a bit more. :]  Oh well...that's the real me.
• I am really tired today.  I don't know why.  I got 8 hours of sleep last night.
• I am super-duper excited to be hanging out with a college friend and her husband  tomorrow night!  Hopefully it will calm my loneliness down...it's getting better!
• We love our small group!  I posted last week a little bit about it.  Well this week there were a few more people there...which was great.  We got to know a few more a tiny bit better.  I am excited about the activities our group has planned...we get to fellowship together; we get to serve together.  It's gonna be fun.  I'm looking forward to getting to know each person better.
• You haven't heard?  My shop is back open!! I'm so excited to be crafting again. :]  Check it out here!!  Oh, and the coupon code for 10% off your entire order is still good!! Enter BLOGFRIENDS10 at the checkout!  {code good through Friday night at midnight!}
• Oh, and also...I created a facebook page for my little shop.  You can "like" it here.  Please bear with me...when I get some more time, I'll be adding to it and making it cute!

So how's that for random?? 
Have a wonderful Thursday, friends!! :]

A Wedding Reception

Remember my best friend's wedding?

Well, just last month she had a wedding reception in her hometown.

I was blessed to be a guest at the reception as well.

The decorations were beautiful.

It was set up so that her friends and family could feel like they were at the wedding.

Cake table and beverage station

They had bee decorations on them! So cute!

The beverages were in beehives!

The buffet table

Table decorations

 Being introduced as Mr. & Mrs. Wood!!!

Of course, I had my favorite! Red Velvet!! :]  I absolutely loved the sparkles!

Mr. & Mrs. Wood serenaded the guests with some bluegrass!  While Mr. Wood {the father of the groom} played the gee-tar. :]

Pictures on display as the guests walked in

Guest book table 

A not very attractive photo of me talking with the groom. 

With the beautiful bride!  She's stunning.

Here's a snippet of  a song that they sang...I'm pretty sure my phone told me I didn't have any more room to record the rest.  I was a little upset.  But enjoy what I did get!

Reminisce

So today I'm at home. 

The place

...where I grew up.

...where the majority of my memories are.

...where part of my heart is.

...and most of all, where my family is.

It's the town's favorite {or least favorite} part of the year.

Fair Time!!

I happen to love it.

Everyone comes home.

We all hang out on the square.

We talk, laugh, and eat. 

We see people we haven't seen in a loooong time.

Tonight is my 5 year High School Reunion.

5 YEARS, PEOPLE!

To some, you may think, "That's it?"

But to me, I think, "Where in the world did the time go?"

My class was pretty close...we were all friends.

So I'm incredibly excited to see everyone.

Lots of us have gotten married.  Had babies.  Graduated college.  Gotten jobs.

It will be so cool to see what each person is doing in their life right now.

We had a small class...graduated with 88 or so.

According to facebook {because that's where we get all our knowledge these days}, at least half of my class will be there.

*Oh, and I had to get back on facebook so I could get the information about the reunion.  I wasn't really missing it that much.*

I always dreamed that I would be married at my 5 year reunion.

And I'm blessed to be just that.

I'm blessed to be taking my best friend, so that he can meet all the hooligans that I ran around with.

I'm excited to be meeting my friends' significant others and spouses.

I'm excited to be reacquainted again...to see how we've all matured {or not matured}.

Most of all, I hope to see what God is doing in each and every person's life.

I hope that Christ will radiate through me so that others {who may not know Him} will see something different inside of me.