Whole30

Thursday was the LAST day of the Whole30!!  We made it!!  I can't tell you how many days I thought we'd never make it to this point, but we did.  I'm SO glad we did it!  The Whole30 is 30 days of no dairy, no grains, no legumes, and no sugar.  No fun!  The whole premise is to change your body from burning sugar into burning fat.  I never dreamed I'd have so much energy that lasted all day.  Seriously, such a good feeling!  30 days of eating protein, veggies, and fruit also eliminate "system inflammation" in your body.  It's tough, but definitely worth it!  Between the 5 of us, we lost 84 pounds!!  (I lost 20!)

 

Friday was the first day of reintroduction.  We were able to add back in a bit of dairy for one day.  We made the most of this one day!!  Matt had won a limo ride and wanted to use it to commemorate this long awaited day.  We met for dinner at Prima's first and enjoyed a little cheese and sour cream.  That sour cream was amazing!!!

After dinner, Tina and her kids met us there and the limo picked us up.

Check out these adorable, excited kids!

The book, It Starts with Food, recommends having some ice cream on this first day of reintroduction, so we took that idea and ran with it.  We celebrated with some Andy's ice cream!  It was soooo good!

I had such a great time!  It reminded me again how blessed I am to have a family that finds any reason to get together and celebrate!

The whole reintroduction process will take another week. Monday we'll add bread and pasta for one day.  Thursday we'll add rice for one day, and then Sunday we'll add legumes.  But, we'll make it through one day, one meal at a time.  :)  (Looking forward to a burger with the bun tomorrow night!)

A Love Story - DFL 2012

Wow!  There was such a sense of expectancy and anticipation as this came closer and closer.  And it did not disappoint!!!  I will never be able to capture the life-changing moments of the weekend with words.  Words can't adequately express the way God spoke directly to my heart over these three days.  Everything about it was perfect! 

Thursday evening Priscilla Shirer opened the conference with lots of laughter and in-your-face truth.  I LOVE her!!! 

 

- no matter how large the crowd gets, HE sees us!

- In abandoned boat circumstance HE is going to use the season/situation to make a pulpit and give other people a message about your life.  On that pulpit people will see the power of Jesus in your life!

- Sometimes He allows an emptiness so there will be room for HIM.

Friday morning we heard from Pastor Debbie.  She reminded us about the need to tell our story.  Dianne Wilson followed her with a message about commitment; a reminder that if God is telling you to do something, it will always be better.  After lunch Priscilla was back to challenge us to live a one-in-a million life. 

 

One of my favorite parts of the conference was that Jen stayed with me the whole weekend!  I never get tired of this girl.  She's the kind of friend every girl needs.  On Friday, you have a little bit of time between the afternoon and the evening session.  Jen and I were so exhausted from the late night Thursday and early morning Friday that we went back to my house and took a nap.  It was wonderful and only something I could admit to needing with a true friend!  :)

And then came Friday evening.  God put a message on Christine Caine's heart that was just for me!!  But that's what the Holy Spirit does best - takes one message and personalizes it for 4,000+ girls.  The message centered around one truth - with God there are no expiration dates!  If you read my "birthday" post, you'll know how perfect this was for me.  So confirming!!  We have to judge HIM as faithful.  We can't confuse our due date with God's due season.  Love this!!

Saturday brought more than I thought my heart could hold!  Priscilla was first up with a message that challenged the hearts of everyone there.  A challenge to stop sleep walking and rushing through seasons of our lives.  She gave us 4 secrets for sleepwalkers:

- your "certain place" is a sacred place - God has treasure for us in this place

- there's the secret of stones - there's good stuff in the hard stuff!

- the secret of confirmation - when life doesn't affirm, God will go out of His way to affirm it for you

- the secret of returning - whatever you sow today, you will reap tomorrow.

 

Dianne Wilson and Christine Caine followed this powerful message with more truths to remember and live by:

- God didn't put a dream in our heart to tease or discourage us.  HE is the dream-maker!

- We are a product of eternity - not time.  We nee our hearts to beat for what His heart beats for.

My take away from the conference:

- God once again affirmed for me that my "someday" is in the works!

- This season of singleness is special and has many gifts to offer.

- I need to keep my eyes focused on things of eternal value.

- I have a story to tell!

 

I cannot stress enough the importance of pulling away to reconnect and replinish.  I'm already signed up for next year!!  You should totally join me!!!! 

 

**Jen and I are now masters at saving seats and will gladly save one for you!  ;)

 

Writer's Block

I love looking back at previous posts.

 

I love seeing the pictures of family and friends, once again reminded of God's blessings. 

 

I love that God used this very place to bring healing and (hopefully) a place where the glory and praise for that healing is placed on Him. 

 

I love that this reflection truly brings a joy for the journey and a reminder that there's "good stuff in the hard stuff!" (Priscilla Shirer)

 

This blog helps me "talk to my future and remind it of my past". (Christine Caine)

 

 

So, why's it so hard right now to find the words for the page?  Is it because I'm not still enough or quiet enough to even hear my own thoughts?  I know part of it is my OCD kicking in, wanting to first catch up on everything I've missed recording these past several months.  The thought of doing that is overwhelming and makes me just give up all together.  :( 

 

BUT, today I'm turning the page.  I'm putting a period and starting a new chapter!  There's much to write about!!  DFL and the Whole30 are the 2 biggest!!  Can't wait to share!

 

**Full disclosure: I realize that a few faithful friends and family are the only ones who may or may not read this.  I feel the need to put it in print that I don't expect anyone to be reading.  I blog for me.  Anyone else that reads and share in this journey is icing on the cake!!  It seems silly to include that, and it's insecure of me to worry what others think, but I just wanted to put  it out there as a way to authenticate what I'm writing.  These posts are just a record for me.  An online journal of sorts.  A way to remind myself that these days, months, and years make up my story.  :)