The Cortney Chronicles

Food Stamp Challenge: Day 32 and Beyond

2011-04-11T10:06:00.003-05:00

What I found out very quickly on Saturday was that I am not fueling myself enough for the things that I am asking my body to do. I crashed quickly on my 10k run on Saturday and didn't recover. I didn't feel strong at all and didn't have the usual energy to hit the hills and keep pressing on. My body was tired and it was my fault for not giving it the healthy things that it needs to do the job I'm requiring of it. It also took me much longer to recover from this race (still recovering) which is not typical for me.

Therefore, my challenge is going to change for the rest of Lent.

After consulting with people that I trust and respect the most, I've decided that I will not finish the food stamp challenge. I do feel that I have learned SO much about the topic, have experienced the need, and have done atleast a small part to bring greater awareness to the problem of hunger.

However, knowing that I have a two races in this coming week (a splash and dash and a triathlon), I don't feel that I can continue trying to eat on this amount of money any longer.

For this coming week (starting Tuesday) I will be recording and sharing something entirely different. I am going to eat as healthy as possible (organic - when I can- and packed with nutrients) and I am going to share with you what I spend to do this.

I think what we will find is that the cost of a very healthy balanced diet with enough good stuff to fuel a triathlete (I know I'm very slow but I am one) are far from the budget of someone on food stamps. I will try to make the most economical choices and find the best deals but I am going to choose brown rice instead of white and I'm going to buy gluten-free bread to make meals that will give me the results I want in races and at boot camp. I won't choose inferior products because they are cheaper.

I know this is a change from what I set out to do and I welcome anyones thoughts on if you would have given up or not but I have to do what is best for me and at this point it is choosing better fuel.

Food Stamp Challenge: Day 31

2011-04-08T07:44:00.007-05:00

Morning Weight: 236.5 (9.5 lbs down in 30 days)

I woke up after not enough sleep and started packing for my weekend away. I packed one basket of dirty clothes and one of clean clothes that need to be folded (Love ya MOM!) and then headed to work. Breakfast was a hardboiled egg ($0.11), a banana ($0.18), and a pear ($0.33).

I boiled a bunch of eggs on Sunday morning and it's been SO nice to be able to just grab one and go. A little prep goes a long way! Lunch was the last serving of cabbage casserole ($0.52).

After work I got my car re-registered (only 5 months late) and then drove off to Brenham to see the parents. I stopped and got a lemon-berry slush on the way ($1.99) thinking it was happy hour but it was over. I got to my parents and my dad and I went to pick up my packet for the Blue Bell 10k on Saturday and then drove the race course. We came home and had some really great chicken and rice with broccoli ($0.60) that I loved and did some laundry and fell asleep (while reading).

I was thinking that in the past I would have had another helping of dinner and probably had dessert and I didn't really need any of it.

I got an email yesterday from Pam, who handles all the reimbursements for the Beef Team and she said, "You always THINK you know what someone goes through but few venture out to really get that experience." I am VERY thankful that I've embarked on this journey and that I can see things just a little differently now. I have been blessed so far by what I have learned and I know that as the final days approach I will learn even more.

Friday's Total: $3.73

Total Spent in 31 Days: $147.10 (average of $4.74)

Total Remaining for 15 days: $59.90 (average of $3.99)

Food Stamp Challenge: Day 30

2011-04-07T08:12:00.005-05:00

My plan yesterday was to go to the store but it didn't happen so I was unprepared some for today.

Breakfast was Cheetos ($0.75) and a Coke ($0.65) from the vending machine at work. I would pay for that later. For lunch I had another serving of the cabbage casserole - still tastes AMAZING! ($0.52).

After work I stopped at HEB on the way to the Boys and Girls Club. So on Tuesday pears were 5 for a $1 and on Thursday they were 3 for $1 - that is almost double in price! I should have stocked up earlier in the week! Who knew. I got a pear ($0.33) and some string cheese ($0.48) for my snack. As my sister pointed out, it would be cheaper to buy a pack of string cheese than a single but I'm never going straight home to put them in the fridge so I keep buying one at a time and eating it right then.

I had a ton of fun playing badminton with the little kids at the Boys and Girls Club. They are pretty horrible at it but we had a good time. Their favorite was to do the whole hopscotch course and then have me hit the birdie to them at the end.

After that I headed downtown for a workout with Jeff and Lil Ali but I really wasn't feeling it. I think a lot of it had to do with my breakfast choice. I kind of half did and it did more abs then running but atleast I was there, right!??!

Then I met up with Leah for an improv comedy marathon at Spiderhouse. We had a lot of FREE white peach fro-yo (so good!), a few drinks, and we split chicken nachos ($3.98). The comedy was pretty bad but the company was amazing! I do love that Leah Davies!

Then I went over to Gary's and helped him clean up some because his parents are coming into town this weekend. I realized that I MUCH rather clean other people's houses then my own. It also is a perk that his mom has stocked his house with every kind of great, name brand cleaning product that there is so that makes it fun too. Another late night and a little sleep. You can sleep when you are dead right?

Thursday's Total: $6.71

Total Spent in 30 days: $143.37 (Average of $4.78 a day)

Total Remaining for 16 days: $63.63 (Average of $3.98 a day)

"If there is among you anyone in need, a member of your community in any of your towns within the land that the LORD your God is giving you, do not be hard-hearted or tight-fisted toward your needy neighbor. You should rather open your hand, willingly lending enough to meet the need, whatever it may be. Be careful that you do not entertain a mean thought, thinking, "The seventh year, the year of remission, is near," and therefore view your needy neighbor with hostility and give nothing; your neighbor might cry to the LORD against you, and you would incur guilt. Give liberally and be ungrudging when you do so, for on this account the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you undertake. Since there will never cease to be some in need on the earth, I therefore command you, "Open your hand to the poor and needy neighbor in your land." -Deuteronomy 15:7-11 (NRSV)

Food Stamp Challenge: Day 29

2011-04-06T07:37:00.008-05:00

It is really feeling like this is do-able. FINALLY!

Morning Weight: 239

I woke up feeling really good this morning. I think eating more quality foods (let's not think about the Cheetos) yesterday helped a lot. I hope to keep including good fruits, veggies, and proteins. We had a GREAT workout with Brandon with lots of running and arm/back work. I was feeling strong and felt properly fueled for the first time in a while.

For breakfast I had a hardboiled egg ($0.11), a banana ($0.18), and a pear ($0.20). A little later I hd some peanut butter ($0.10) and for lunch I had a serving of the Crock Pot cabbage casserole ($0.52).

After work I stopped on the way to the Boys and Girls Club and got (you guessed it!) Cheetos ($0.99) and then hung out with those cool kids for a while.

I headed to church for our Lent Study and this week was all about social justice and how it is our job to be the voice for the oppressed. We had a wonderful potluck with 2 kinds of quinoa, salads, meat, cheese, and broccoli cheese soup and lemonade! I brought some bread but no one ate any of it. We had so much good stuff! So dinner was FREE!

Then I did some hanging out, tv watching, and a little sleeping!

Wednesday Total: $2.10

Total Spent in 29 Days: $136.66 (Average of $4.71 a day)

Total Remaining for 17 Days: $70.34 (Average of $4.14 a day)

"If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality." Desmond Tutu

Food Stamp Challenge: Day 28

2011-04-05T07:59:00.008-05:00

After getting the numbers more averaged out yesterday, I feel a lot better about being able to make it through this. Last night I through THIS recipe for Frank's Cabbage and Ground Beef Bake in my Crock Pot for lunch today, BUT it smelled so good I broke down and had a serving for breakfast! Let's figure out the cost:

1 lb ground beef (from the meat pack) - $1.58

1 cup of rice - $0.18

1/2 an onion - $0.13

small head of cabbage - $0.46

Lg can of pureed tomatoes - $0.75

------------------------------------

Total Cost: $3.10

Makes 6 servings

Cost per serving: $0.52

I had some Cheetos ($0.90) and chicken thighs ($0.68) for lunch.

I stopped at HEB on the way to the Boys and Girls Club (and really people if the self checkout says 20 items or less - please don't bring your 3 weeks worth of groceries to that line - rant over!) I got string cheese ($0.42), a banana ($0.18) and a pear ($0.20) and scarfed them down.

We were suppose to have a basketball game so we went all the way across town to the other club and they had cancelled it. So I headed up to Round Rock for boot camp and stopped on the way and got a free chicken sandwich (I know! Not gluten-free but I was SO stinkin' HUNGRY!) with a Coupon that Carolyn had given me. We love free. We had a crazy great workout and then I grabbed a slush at Sonic ($1.69) before we went to play sand volleyball.

When I got home I had a hardboiled egg ($0.11), watched the Biggest Loser (so sad about Courtney leaving) and went to bed.

Tuesday's Total: $4.70

Total Spent in 28 days: $134.56 (Average of $4.81 a day)

Total Remaining for 18 days: $72.44 (Average of $4.02 a day)

"Being unwanted, unloved, uncared for, forgotten by everybody, I think that is a much greater hunger, a much greater poverty than the person who has nothing to eat." - Mother Teresa

Food Stamp Challenge: Day 27

2011-04-04T07:46:00.006-05:00

I woke up and went to Brandon's Boot Camp. I didn't have any energy at all and that is definitely due to the eating on Sunday. It was a rough morning! Hard Boiled Egg: ($0.11) 1 Tablespoon Peanut Butter: ($0.05) For lunch I had .87 lbs of chicken thighs (for $1.38) from the meat pack I got a while back at H.E.B. After work I used a coupon for a free scoop of frozen custard from Culvers and pretty much scarfed it down. Yumm - snickers! Then I had a free hamburger patty, watched tv, did laundry, threw a meal in the Crock Pot, and met Kristin at Chuy's for all the free chips, salsa, white sauce, and queso (with beef) that I could eat - yeah I ate a TON! At my Lay Leader meeting, Wendye handed out candy canes as reminders about our Christmas in July event and all the ones that got broken while handed out became mine! I watched a movie and hit the hay! Monday's Total: $1.54 Total Spent in 27 Days: $129.86 (average of $4.81 a day!) Total Remainging: $77.14 (average of $4.06 a day) - I'm catching back up to normal! ***Hunger Fact: One person dies from hunger-related causes every 40 seconds.

Food Stamp Challenge: Day 26

2011-04-04T07:39:00.003-05:00

Morning Weight: 239

I woke up Sunday and read a ton of my new book, I'm loving it! I'll write a review when I'm done! and then ate some breakfast (2 eggs $0.21 and 2 corn tortillas $0.06). I went to church for a great day of worship and a lot of baby holding! Then I waited while Phil counted money and then he and Emma and I went to the Deli. I had chips, queso, and a Coke $3.39 (cheapest option).

I picked up a few things and headed home to get ready because my team at youth group (Go B6!) had chosen an 80s them for the night. Here is how it turned out:

I had some free chips and salsa at youth group and then some free peanuts and water at Logan's afterward with Emma, Amy, Phil, Kevin, and Amber. Man those steaks looked good!

Definitely did not eat well on this day!

Sunday total: $3.66

Total Spent in 26 Days: $128.32 (Average of $4.94 a day)

Total Remaining: $78.68 (Average of $3.93 a day)

Food Stamp Challenge: Day 25

2011-04-04T07:31:00.003-05:00

Saturday morning, Amy and I woke up early and ate breakfast: a taco with a corn tortilla (a free one that I brought from Chuy's the night before) and one egg with one piece of crumbled sausage $0.15 and half a banana $0.09. We drove to Houston for a mission trip training, where I won camo duct tape: and got to eat lots of free fruit (watermelon -mmmm!, grapes, and strawberries). I also ate a banana ($0.18) and some peanut butter ($0.20). Here's the banana in action! :)

We left the very short training and headed home and stopped at Casa Ole in Houston. Free chips and salsa and green sauce. I loaded up on those! and got a beef taco on corn tortillas ($1.50). When I got home I did a lot of napping and TV watching and ate half a pound of grapes for dinner ($0.50).

Saturday Total: $2.62

Total Spent in 25 Days: $124.66 (Average of $4.99 a day)

Total Remaining : $82.34

New Years Resolutions Check-In

2011-04-01T07:41:00.002-06:00

2011 is 1/4 of the way over (crazy right?) so I thought I'd check in on my New Years Goals to see how I'm doing! Here we go: * Lose 70 lbs - I started the year at 249.5 and weighed in this morning at 238.5 - 11 lbs. I need to step it up on this one. * Take another hour off my half marathon time (for a 2:45 run time) - Did 3:32:21 at the Austin Half Marathon. Hopefully this will keep coming down this year. * Complete the entire Splash and Dash race series (as long as I'm in town for each one April-Sept) - I have signed up already for the first two and have the rest on my calendar. I don't see any conflicts! * Eat a healthy, gluten-free diet - Ehh. Trying. The food stamp challenge is hurting this a little bit. * Limit alcohol and drink water more than anything else. Drinking calories = bad! - I have definitely have cut back on alcohol and soda and not being able to drink beer has helped but I do enjoy a margarita every now and then. * Possibly consider a marathon at the end of the year but the real focus is the Half Marathon time - I signed up for the San Antonio Marathon!!!! * Be positive and encouraging to other athletes and show them the value of their efforts as much as posssible. - Definitely working on that. Excited about cheering on Brandon and Patrick at their Half Ironman in a few weeks! * Give one months worth of hours in community service (672 hours) during the year - I have completed 210.25 hours so far. That is about 31% complete. * Read the entire Bible - I am 0.42% done (5/1189 chapters read) * Pray for the entire world (each country) - I got through about 60 countries before I started having trouble with the emails. I'm about half way there and will complete this for sure. * Declutter and live with as few possessions as necessary. (I plan to declutter between now and Ash Wednesday and attempt the 100 Thing Challenge during Lent.) - I am working on decluttering but took on a different challenge for lent. * Read more - haven't done great at that unless Runner's World magazines count. Like I said, goals are made to be attempted. I'm happy with the progress I have made so far. I'll check in again on these at the end of June.

How are you doing with your New Years Resolutions?

Food Stamp Challenge: Day 24

2011-04-01T06:25:00.009-06:00

Morning Weight: 238.5 (The post race weight is off)

I had planned to go to Brandon's workout this morning but my alarm went off and I was sore and tired and I gave in and went back to bed. Next week I'm back on it hardcore.

Turkey slices: $0.48

3 small strawberries $0.20

Free chips and salsa at work

For lunch I had:

potatoes ($0.10), onions ($0.05), and carrots ($0.04) and the last of the leftover salad from last week and a Coke ($0.70).

After work I had a free hamburger patty and then went to Chuys with Amy, Phil, and Emma. I had free Chips and salsa and a corn tortilla with butter all for free and I spent $1.29 for mexican rice (so not worth it!).

The kids at the Boys and Girls Club were having a bake sale so we went by and bought some April Fools lemonade (with grapes in it!) for $0.75.

Then Amy and I drove to Brenham to stay the night with my parents and played dominoe until midnight with these crazy kids:

Friday Total: $3.61

Total Spent in 24 Days: $122.04 ($5.09 a day average)

Total Remaining: $84.96

Food Stamp Challenge: Day 23

2011-03-31T09:39:00.004-06:00

HALF WAY THERE!!!! AHHHH!!! I woke up early and went to boot camp with Ally - running UP the parking garage, flipping tires, doing stairs, wall sits, scooter boards - it was great. I was SO hungry when I got to work and devoured some trail mix ($0.70) and had some Turkey Slices ($0.48). For lunch I had more of the steak and veggies: steak ($0.53) with potatoes ($0.10), onions ($0.05), and carrots ($0.04) and some lettuce and tomatoes left over from the work lunch the other but I already applied my part of the cost for that so it won't count today. I had a tablespoon of peanut butter some time during the afternoon ($.05) and had one of the FREE HEB Hamburger patties when I got home from work. I did some laundry and watched tv and then went to boot camp with Brandon. I wasn't completely into the workout and didn't have a ton of energy. Here we all are after we were done and nasty with sweat:

When I got home I had half a pound of grapes ($0.50) and went to bed.

Thursday Total: $2.45

Total Spent in 23 Days: $118.43 (avg of $5.15 a day - yay! it's coming back down!)

Total Remaining: $88.57

"We are called to make an invisible God, visible." -Kay Warren

Food Stamp Challenge: Day 22

2011-03-30T08:02:00.005-06:00

I really appreciate the prayers and support that I am receiving throughout this challenge. It is just now starting to get difficult so please keep them coming! Morning Weight: 241

Banana ($0.18)

Turkey Slices ($0.48)

Yogurt ($0.38)

Trail Mix ($0.35)

I had lunch with Stacy Cross and had a baked potato ($0.99) and chili ($0.99) from Wendy's.

Some peanut butter in the afternoon $0.10 I stopped on the way to the Boys and Girls Club and got a lunchable (and ate just the meat) $0.33 and a pear $0.06.

Then I went to church and fed dinner to this kid:

Her dinner was FREE...too bad I can't eat that cheap! :)

Then we had our Lent study on being a Good Samaritan. I had a Coke $0.50 and about $0.50 worth of the chips I brought were eaten.

We had some wonderful home grown salad, spicy chicken, rice krispie treats, and more! I love potlucks.

We talked about disease in the world and how millions of kids are dying from preventable diseases like malaria, HIV/AIDS, TB, and even diahrrea from unclean water. This is definitely not okay!

I watched a little of the Biggest Loser and hit the hay!

Wednesday's Total: $4.86

Total Spent in 22 Days: 115.97 (Avg of $5.27 a day)

Total Remaining: $91.03

Feel free to post any questions ya'll have for me about the challenge or about how the food stamp system works. If I don't know I'm glad to find out.

At lunch Stacy asked me if there was any special consideration given to people who have food allergies to give them an increase in their food stamps. I looked it up last night and there is not. It has been hard for me being gluten-free but there are easy substitutions for some things (not others). Dairy and nut allergies are probably very hard to accomodate on a limited budget.

"Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will."

– Romans 12:1-2

Food Stamp Challenge: Day 21

2011-03-29T06:48:00.007-06:00

Morning Weight 244 (always gain a little after a race)

I got up and went to morning boot camp with Ally. It was a good workout but I didn't have a ton of energy and I'm really sore from the race still.

1 Strawberry ($0.10)

1 Banana ($0.18)

Yogurt ($0.38)

Trail Mix ($0.70)

For lunch I had steak (from the meat pack!)($0.53) with potatoes ($0.10), onions ($0.05), and carrots ($0.04) that I put in the Crock Pot the night before. The meat was a little tough but it was good! And I had 2 strawberries ($0.20). And I got to eat it all with THIS cutie (and her mom!)

I had $0.10 worth of candy from my co-worker. Not as good as the other kind but it hit the spot. Then I did Boys and Girls Club, a freakin' crazy good workout with Brandon (sand bags, ropes, tires - the works!) and then a 3 mile walk with some boot camp friends. Next thing I knew it was 9:30 and I was STARVING!

I downed a burger, fries, and coke (I know!) $4.29 and fell asleep before I even changed out of my clothes!

Tuesday Total: $6.67

Total for 21 days: $111.11 (avg of $5.29 a day)

Total Remaining for 25 days: $95.98 (Now I'm getting scared!)

Food Stamp Challenge: Day 20

2011-03-28T08:41:00.007-06:00

I have post race crazy huger, which is were this challenge is really starting to get hard. I want to eat everything!

Cheetos ($0.33) - it's all I had around!

Trail mix ($0.70)

I didn't bring anything for lunch so I ran to Wendy's because they had a $2.99 value meal BUT they don't have it anymore so I ended up spending a lot more (that is what not planning does!) for a burger, fries, and coke ($6.45).

After work I went to get a massage because I had a gift certificate from a friend. AHHH! SO nice! Then I ran to HEB and got a few groceries. Trying to get more fruits and veggies in this week.

I laid on the couch the rest of the night and also threw some food in the crock pot for lunches! It was SO nice to do nothing! I ate:

Half a lb of grapes - $0.50

Two HEB lean fully cooked hamburger patties - Free (Remember I had that coupon!)

Can of corn - $0.56

Monday's Total: $8.54

Total Spent in 20 Days: $104.43 (Avg of $5.22 a day)

Total Remaining: $102.57

*** Hunger Fact ***

"In the United States, according to the USDA, 27 percent of all the food produced each year is lost at the retail, consumer, and food service levels. That turns out to be about nearly 1.5 tons of food per year for every man, woman, and child in the United States who faces hunger. To put it another way, in the U.S. we throw away about 263,013,699 pounds of food a day... every single day! And much of what is wasted actually is just surplus food. It is perfectly edible." Source

Food Stamp Challenge: Day 19

2011-03-28T08:28:00.003-06:00

Sunday was racing day! I got up early (after a long night!) and headed downtown for the Capitol 10K race. I'll post a full race report. I had a few sections of an orage before the race ($0.17) and then headed off. I did really well at the race and took almost 18 minutes off of my time from last year!

After the race I had a banana, half a chocolate milk, and a few bites of eggs (all free) and hung out with some of my boot camp friends. Then I met Kevin and his friends for lunch and had nachos ($5.75) and a beer (doesn't count toward the food stamp challenge).

I went home, showered, and napped before youth group where I had some chips and a hot dog (free) and a Coke ($0.50).

After youth I headed down south for another beer (doesn't count) and then we went to Buffalo Wild Wings for a late dinner. Wings were on sale for 50 cents each ($4.00) and I had a few fries and chips ($0.50). Another great day with great friends and weather!

Sunday Total: $10.92 (ouch!)

Total spent in 19 days: $95.89 (An average of $5.04 a day)

Total remaining: $111.11

Gotta get to the store and have food ready so I can quit eating out. Back on track soon!

Food Stamp Challenge: Day 18

2011-03-28T08:20:00.002-06:00

Saturday was a crazy busy day (just how I like it!) but the weather was beautiful and I loved it! I woke up at the church where I was volunteering and got dressed. I headed over to the new Habitat for Humanity house. I had a banana on the way ($0.13). I worked on regrading the backyard of a house that had already been finished for a year but was pooling water. The homeowner gave us a breakfast taco (free) and a Pepsi (free) while we worked. Lunch was provided by the organization sponsoring the house - pizza (free). I left after lunch and went to check out Kevin's new house that he is fixing up to rent out. We painted a little and then went to grab something to eat. I had a sandwich ($4.49) and chips ($0.88). Then I went home and showered and took a nice nap until it was time to go again. I run for the Texas Beef Council and since I had a race on Sunday they bought dinner for us at Macaroni Grill. We had appetizers, steak skewers, pasta, and 3 types of cake (ALL FREE!). (You'll notice I did really horrible with eating gluten-free this weekend. It was more convenient to take what was free and easier to access in a hurry. My stomach, tounge, and a little bit skin paid for it!) Then I hung out with some friends. I headed to bed VERY late but it was a wonderful day! Saturday's Total: $5.50 Total spent in 18 days: $84.97 (An average of $4.72 a day) Total remaining: $122.03

Food Stamp Challenge: Day 17

2011-03-25T11:12:00.003-06:00

After not enough sleep, I woke up and headed off to boot camp and it ROCKED! We got to pull Brandon's new truck by a rope. So much fun! What were YOU doing at 5:30 a.m. Morning weight: 240 Trail Mix - $0.70 For lunch I had leftover soup which was now more like rice with veggies because it had soaked up all the juice - free. Ehh it was okay today. Afternoon snack: cheetos - $0.90 Half a Coke - $0.35 (I think I'm allergic to it - my tounge has gotten all ulcery the last two times I've had it - ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?! It might be my favorite thing in the world!!!) I ran some errands (and had some free cheese and crackers from a race packet I picked up) and met some girls from church for dinner - spaghetti and meat balls ($5.95) and then hung out with them before volunteering overnight at the Interfaith Hospitality Network. I really enjoyed this service opportunity and hanging out with the kids. I also got to sleep all night and just had to be there in case anything happened. I got some really good sleep! Friday's Total: $7.90 Total spent in 17 days: $79.47 (An average of $4.67 a day) Total remaining: $127.53

Food Stamp Challenge: Day 16

2011-03-25T06:20:00.004-06:00

I'm realizing more and more everyday that just because something is free or cheap doesn't mean it's good for me but living on limited means is driving me to make worse choices just because it's free and available.

Morning Weight: 238.5

I didn't make it to the morning boot camp but I had breakfast at my desk at work:

Orange - $0.33
Banana - $0.15

I was given a gift card to reward the team that I lead in the Active For Life program at work. So I thought about the best way to use $10 and I thought a little fruit tray would take the whole card but if I bought food, I know how to cook a meal pretty cheaply! So, I made soup and salad:
I put the soup in the crock pot that morning at work and it cooked until lunch. It was REALLY good! It has squash, carrots, onion, rice, corn, chicken stalk, and salsa. It was a big hit! All the ingredients cost $10.22 and it was for 8 of us to share so the part of it that I will cost out is $1.28, but there is a ton of leftovers so anything that I eat of the leftovers will be free since it's already charged.

I'm really proud of myself for using the most of the resources and making smart choices with the money. I definitely could not have done that if I had not been on this challenge.

I think there was a dark chocolate almond Dove candy in there somewhere ($0.04)

After work I went to the Boys and Girls Club and it was Parent's Day so we cleaned everything up and made a ton of food and welcomed the parent's in. It was a lot of fun and everyone seemed to be having a great time. The meal was free and what I was able to eat (gluten wise) was chips, salsa, queso, and chicken/cilantro, and juice. Not the best choice given the plans for the rest of the night but it was FREE!

My Pastor and I have been taking about choosing your Yeses and choosing your Nos and yesterday was a day like that for me. I had plans to go workout at a core class but once Parent's Day got started I knew that this is where I wanted to be and I didn't want to leave for another workout.

I did leave a little early and headed downtown for a flash mob! That is when a bunch of people show up in one place to do something and then leave. It's to make an impact. This was a fitness flash mob and we did a choreographed workout with glow sticks in the dark to support Japan and relief efforts there. It was really cool.

Once I find a video, I'll post it for you.

After the flash mob I had a date with some of my boot camp friends for "froyo," or frozen yogurt to the unhip. Here's the thing about froyo - you pay by the pound, usually I'd fill up and add tons of toppings but I had to make good choices for the weight vs. quality. I got a small amount of vanilla yogurt with strawberries, 1 banana (they were cut big!), a few blackberries, chocolate syrup and some peanut butter cups. So good. It cost me $2.69. Some of the boys' yogurts came out to $8.

We sat outside and enjoyed our froyo and some good CG fellowship!

It was late when I got home and I headed straight for bed so I could charge up for another crazy day!

Overall (besides the soup and salad) I didn't eat a lot of anything with nutritional value and need to work on finding a better balance.

Thursday Total: $4.49

Total spent in 16 days: $71.57 (An average of $4.47 a day)

Total remaining: $135.43

I want to encourage everyone to take a few minutes to check out the Hunger 101 interactive website that the San Francisco Food Bank created. It lets you really experience all the things you would have to do to get enough food for a week if you were living in poverty. The web page can be found at: http://www.sffoodbank.org/about_hunger/h101.html

Food Stamp Challenge: Day 15

2011-03-23T06:46:00.005-06:00

This week is flying by seriously!

Morning Weight: 238.5

After not enough sleep, I got up for a 5:30 boot camp session with Brandon (he is seriously kicking my butt!) and ate the other half of the amazing Clif Bar on the way ($0.50). It might have not been the best choice because I spent the first 15 minutes of the class trying not to throw it up but after that I was fine.

When I got to work I had:

Orange $0.33
Trail Mix - $0.70
Peanut Butter - $0.05

I met my friend Stephanie for a high class lunch at Wendy's and got the Baja Salad (chili on the side, baked potato, water). It was a lot of food all for $5.40.

I bought some candy from my co-worker. 2 Dove Dark Chocolate with Almonds (Stinkin' YUM!) - $0.10

After work I stopped for gas on the way to the Boys and Girls Club and of course broke down and bought some Cheetos (My name is Cortney and I'm a Cheetoholic!) - $0.99

We started a new study at my church for Lent about becoming a Good Samaritan and we had a potluck dinner. I brought chips (because the cantaloupe I was going to bring went bad) but I don't really think anyone ate any of them because we had a TON of food (turkey/spinach roll ups, gluten free cup cakes, 3 kinds of soup, avacado icecream -YUM!) so I had no cost there.

After a soccer game (we finally won!) and back to help clean up at the study, I crashed in bed!

Wednesday Total: $8.12 (gotta get back on track pronto!)

Total spent in 15 days: $67.08 (An average of $4.47 a day)

Total remaining: $139.92

“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’" Matthew 25:37-40

Food Stamp Challenge: Day 14

2011-03-22T07:25:00.003-06:00

Tuesday was a LONG and busy day but I enjoyed everything that I did!

Morning Weight: 240

I woke up early this morning and headed off to boot camp. I was definitely feeling a lack of energy and wasn't able to get going until the last 20 minutes of camp. More fuel needed!

On the way to work I stopped at McDonalds and got a breakfast with eggs, sausage, and a hash brown and ordered an orange juice and a fruit and yogurt parfait ($6.47). I KNOW that is a TON of money!

I snacked on a new batch of trail mix (raisins, dark chocolate chips, peanuts, and dried cranberries) during a meeting $0.70, it's more expensive but less processed and really good!

My lunch (more of the pasta from yesterday) was not good at all so I had a few bites of turkey meat ($0.10) and a coke ($0.70).

I went to the Boys and Girls Club and they were off to the park for a day of fun so I joined them BUT we forgot the cheese for the sandwiches so I ran to Wal-mart to pick some up and got a string cheese for myself ($0.33).

Another boot camp session with Brandon and then a meeting at church to talk about a project I'm working on to engage the congregation in community service (so exciting!) and then I crashed in bed with no dinner. I was way too tired to even think about it!

Tuesday Total: $8.30
Total spent in 14 days: $58.96 (An average of $4.21 a day)
Total remaining: $148.04

Hunger Fact:

"The percentage of hungry people is highest in east, central and southern Africa. Around three-quarters of undernourished people live in low-income rural areas of developing countries, principally in higher-risk farming areas. However, the share of the hungry in urban areas is rising. Of the total number of the 925 million chronically hungry people, over half are in Asia and the Pacific and about a quarter are in Sub-Saharan Africa." Source

Food Stamp Challenge: Day 13

2011-03-21T07:32:00.005-06:00

Monday! Today was the start of a new month of my boot camp, Camp Gladiator. It is amazing how one week off from camp makes you appreciate being back at it so much!

Morning Weight: It was way too early and it didn't happen

I headed off to the 5:30 am session and had an amazing workout! My trainer, Brandon, did an amazing job and if this is any picture of what the next 4 weeks are going to be like, I'm scared! :)

The bonus was that after the workout this company that makes pre-packaged, healthy food options was there handing out chicken and fruit bowls! YES! We love free! I headed to work, showered, and ate my bowl. I also had the last serving of trail mix ($0.52). As you can tell, I clearly hated this stuff :) I'll be making more VERY soon!

Lunch:

Gluten Free Pasta - $0.33
Spaghetti sauce - $0.29
Ground Turkey - $0.50
----------------------------
Lunch Total - $1.12

After work I stopped by the natural grocery store because they have good deals on one produce item each week. I got a few things (and stuff to make more trail mix!) and drove off. On the way to my workout I ate half a Fudge Almond Clif Bar (Yummmm!) $0.50 and then went to spin class.

After class I ate an orange - I had been so tired of the tiny unsweet ones so I bought a big one at the store for $0.69 - I know it's a lot but it was GOOD! I bought a banana to eat but I ended up giving it to a homeless person on the way to my workout. It seems lately that I have lots of food or Gatorade in my car and feel more compelled then ever to share what I do have with those who face eating on so little.

I did another boot camp workout - getting super tired by now and then went to dinner with friends. I knew I had extra money so we were going to go to Chuy's but the wait was a little long so we went to check out the menu at the new place across the parking lot - Brick House. Turns out they were doing kind of a soft opening and training their staff and we got to eat dinner there for FREE! Our table of 9 got 3 appetizers to share and we each got an entree. I couldn't eat the appetizers but I got two peices of filet mignon with grilled onions and cheese and cheesy mashed potatoes for FREE!

After dinner I went home and went straight to bed! SO TIRED! I need to work on getting more fuel for my workouts and eating enough especially since I plan to do two-a-days for the next few weeks.

Monday Total: $2.83

Total spent in 13 days: $50.66 (An average of $3.90 a day)

Total remaining: $156.34

Hunger Fact:

"World agriculture produces 17 percent more calories per person today than it did 30 years ago, despite a 70 percent population increase. This is enough to provide everyone in the world with at least 2,720 kilocalories (kcal) per person per day (FAO 2002, p.9). The principal problem is that many people in the world do not have sufficient land to grow, or income to purchase, enough food." Source

Food Stamp Challenge: Day 12

2011-03-21T07:17:00.005-06:00

I love Sundays! They are all about worship, hanging out with my church family, and wrapping up the weekend!

Morning Weight: 238.5

I was teaching Sunday School this week for the high schoolers (and Jr. High) and so I headed off to church with a bag of trail mix ($0.39) and the rest of the chocolate milk ($0.39). The trail mix is less than normal because I shared with Mason and Sarah.

We spent some time making some crazy faces:

And then went into church (with a Coke $0.50) . Pastor Terry was talking about not having a "blind" faith but going by what we have seen and experienced in Jesus Christ. He talked about the places that we have been given sight in our lives and when we have been raised from the dead. He also asked if we are the Messiah (the one who has been called to bring healing and hope to those who need it) or if we are just waiting around for someone else to do it. The quetion he left us with was:

Are you the one to come?

After church I had a youth sponsor meeting and we had enchiladas, quacamole, salsa, chips, and Reese's Peanut Butter cups. I didn't really know how to handle this challenge wise since anyone who was a youth sponsor got this meal for free. So, I paid Amy $1 for the meal.

I went home and got some stuff done and then headed back up to the church for Youth Group. We found hotdogs and chips in the cabinets and served them to the kids and I had some too. We also had M&Ms from a game we were playing. Again, not sure how to charge all this but since it was free for everyone, I'm going to call this one free.

We had a lot of fun playing games, learning about Spirtual Disciplines, and worshipping. I love hanging out with those kids! :)

I headed home, watched some TV, cooked some food for the next few days, packed my after workout shower bag, drank some water, and went to bed! The end to a very long and wonderful weekend!

Sunday's Total: $2.28

Total spent in 12 days: $47.83 (An average of $3.99 a day)
Total remaining: $159.17

According to the US Census Bureau, in 2008, 19 million people lived in working-poor families. This translates into nearly 9 percent of all American families living below 100 percent of poverty have at least one family member working.

Food Stamp Challenge: Day 11

2011-03-21T07:05:00.004-06:00

Saturday was another beautiful day and I enjoyed it!

Morning Weight: 239.5

I was volunteering at Habitate for Humanity on Saturday so I grabbed some trail mix and headed to South Austin early that morning. I got there a little early so I rode for about 20 minutes on the road bike (love!) and then walked over to the Habitat House. I ate some trail mix ($0.52) before we got started. There were also some free breakfast tacos for everyone so I had half of one. I had never had black beans in a taco before. Interesting.

I have seriously never worked so hard in my life! We spent the next 8 hours shoveling dirt into wheelbarrows with about a minute or two break between each load. My arms were killing by the end of the day!

We stopped at noon for a free lunch of Rudy's BBQ. YUMMM! It was so good to eat a full meal with all the sides! K&N Management owns Rudy's BBQ and Mighty Fine Burgers and they are the sponsor for the house we had been working on for the last few weeks. (I'm not counting the cost of lunch because the Americorp workers that work on the site with us receive food stamps and the lunch was free for them as well.)

At the end of the day the house was finally complete and even had grass sod and trees planted. It's BEAUTIFUL and I pray that Domingo and his family are blessed as they live in this home. I can't wait to start working on another house! I'm in love with Habitat for Humanity!

When I got home I showered, ate (tuna fish $0.57, chocolate milk $0.39, salad - lettuce $0.21, cucumber $0.20, tomato $0.15), and pretty much slept for the next 12 hours!

Saturday's Total: $2.04

Total spent in 11 days: $45.55 (An average of $4.13 a day)

Total remaining: $161.45

Food Stamp Challenge: Day 10

2011-03-18T07:00:00.006-06:00

Friday was a GREAT DAY! Beautiful weather ... amazing friends...what more could I ask for?

Morning Weight: 240.5

Breakfast was just some Trail Mix - $0.52. This left me super hungry early on in the day and I decided to eat lunch at 10:30. So I had some of the pinto beans and sausage from Wednesday ($0.42) and rice ($0.05).

I realized that I didn't account the rice into the cabbage casserole price so I'll own the cup of rice that was in it today ($0.05).

Since I ate lunch so early I was hungry early in the afternoon. I broke down and bought some Peanut M&Ms from the vending machine at work ($0.90 - crazy right?)

After work I headed downtown to meet 3 of my boot camp friends because we all wanted to test our mile time. I had done it the week before but we knew I could do better with people cheering me on. Probably didn't eat the best going into it but I took 22 seconds off of what I did last week and ran almost the entire mile with only walking less than 100 meters! A big first for me! Hello 12:29!
Brandon, Collier, Sarah, and Morgan ran theirs in the 5s and 6s and smoked it. I really was going to puke afterward because it was so hot!

I ran home (like in the car - not on foot!) and showered and then met Kevin at this cool new place called Zed's for happy hour. Anna and Darjia joined us. I had half an order of pulled pork taquitos ($2.75) and a third of an order of chips and salsa ($1.33). Everything was so good! Anna and I played around at a sporting goods store and then I crashed on the couch at home. SUCH a great day!

Todays total: $5.49
Total spent in 10 days: $43.40 (an avg of $4.34 a day)
Total remaining: $163.60

At day 43 I might be regretting some of my choices but for now it is averaging out. Next week boot camp ramps back up and I will need to work on eating as healthy as possible.

Food Stamp Challenge: Day 9

2011-03-17T06:31:00.003-06:00

Thursday - the day that I ate more c.r.a.p. than ever before - ugh!

Morning Weight: 240.5

Chocolate milk - $0.39
Trail Mix - $0.52
-----------------------
Breakfast Total - $0.91

I had an apple as a morning snack. I would just like to say that I REALLY miss my good apples like Gala and Fuji. This was a tiny red apple and was very mushy. $0.25

Lunch was the last serving of cabbage casserole. After 4 days I still was loving it and could have eaten a few more days worth. So great! $0.81 and I had an orange $0.16.

When I divided the casserole up, I put it into 4 containers but they weren't the same size so some days were smaller 1/4ths than others (I know that doesn't really make sense). So today was a smaller portion and I was hungry around 1 pm. So I ate some Cheetos $0.50.

At the Boys and Girls Club we celebrated St. Patty's Day with a huge feast and also celebrated the March Birthdays. This is the only place that I am counting anything that I eat absolutely free because it is free for everyone there. I had about 1/4 a cup of caramel popcorn (the only thing gluten-free!) and some of the glazed strawberries that were decorating the birthday cake. Yummm but I didn't feel great afterward.

I had a meeting at church so I killed some time and went up to the church. I ate two hotdogs from the church fridge ($0.62) and got a Coke (ahhh! I missed you!) $0.50

I apparently was the only one that didn't know that our meeting was cancelled so I went home. I had a baked potato ($0.30) with margarine ($0.05), cheese ($0.17), and a little sour cream ($0.15) for a total of $0.67 for dinner.

I fell asleep on the couch at about 8:30 watching TV. So tired!

Math time!

Thursday's Total: $4.42 (so not worth it)
Challenge Total Spent: $37.91 (about $4.21 a day on average so far)
Money Remaining for 37 Days: $169.09

I'm working on getting in contact with a Dietician from H.E.B. to talk about nutrition and fueling for my workouts. I didn't know that this is a free service that H.E.B. offers to all of its customers. I'll let you know what I learn!

What did you have for dinner last night?

***Hunger Fact - "Despite the impression you often get from the media, emergencies account for less than eight percent of hunger's victims. Few people realise that there are close to one billion hungry people in the world who don't make the headlines -- more than the combined populations of the United States, Canada and the European Union. They are of all ages, from babies whose mothers cannot produce enough milk to the elderly with no relatives to care for them. They are the unemployed inhabitants of urban slums, the landless farmers tilling other people's fields, the orphans of AIDS and the sick, who need special or increased food intake to survive. Above all, children, women and rural communities are on the frontlines of hunger."

- United Nations, read more HERE

Food Stamp Challenge: Day 8

2011-03-16T10:00:00.008-06:00

‎"May God grant you a dream so humanly impossible that its improbable success can only point to his glory, not your own." - Jonathan Acuff-

Where has this week gone! Wednesday flew by pretty quick!

Morning Weight: 239.5

Trail Mix: $0.52 (I'm so seriously addicted to this stuff!)
Banana: $0.18
------------------
Breakfast Total: $0.70

A little snack to hold me over until lunch - 2 tablespoons of peanut butter - $0.10

Lunch was my trusty cabbage casserole - $0.81 (only one serving left after this one!)

In the afternoon I needed a little pick-me-up so I ate the last piece of chocolate that I bought from my co-worker - $0.03 (better than a $0.75 Coke right!?!?)

Once I left work it was kind of all down hill on the healthiness. I had a serving of Cheetos ($0.25)on the way to the Boys and Girls Club. A man came into the Club and asked for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for his "nephew." A lot of times people will ask there for food and usually we say its just for the kids but I think there was some extra donated so they gave him a frozen loaf of bread and a jar of peanut butter. He left and then a few minutes later came back to ask for jelly. We told him again that this was all we had and he left.

I just want to point out the amazing job that the Boys and Girls Club (and many other organizations) does in feeding kids. Every weekday around 5:15 a van comes by the Club and brings a bread, meat, veggie, and fruit. We feed the kids a "Kid Cafe" meal before they go home for the evening. It is organizations like Boys and Girls Club and others that help parents who survive on food stamps. The school breakfast and lunch program and community organizations like this help to fill in where food stamps fall short. It is vitally important that we support community organizations (food banks, Boys and Girls Club, after school programs, and others) as these non-profits find ways to stretch dollars and do the most good for people who need it the most.

Then after the Boys and Girls Club I ran home to change clothes for soccer. I didn't really have much that I could grab to eat really quickly so I bagged up another serving of trail mix ($0.52).

We finally won our first soccer game (I don't have to mention that it was because the other team didn't show up, do I?). The guy from our league gave us all free samples of Clif Bars which I will probably be eating soon!

Since we got done early I headed over to Trudy's for a friend's surprise birthday party. I had some bean and cheese nachos ($5! AHHH!). The whole time I was eating them all I could think about was how much they would have cost if I had made them at home (under $1) and even felt guilty for it. I know I have money to spare from the past days and will be able to average it out but that was more than a whole day's worth of food!

(My crazy friends)

All my friends and my family have been so supportive so far throughout this! Everyone has been amazing about giving me ideas, asking me how its going, and helping me find coupons or print things for me. I think it really does take a community effort to be able to live in this way and I feel very blessed to be surrounded by such an amazing community.

Let's do the numbers:

Wednesday's Total: $7.41

Challenge Total Spent: $33.49 (about $4.19 a day on average so far)

Money Remaining for 38 Days: $173.51

What is your favorite grab on the go cheap snack?

South By Soup Fest

2011-03-16T08:04:00.002-06:00

It's South By Southwest in Austin right now with bands everywhere and people going crazy about the latest music and technology. I heard about this one event where the focus is on raising money to help those in need in our community and wanted to share it with ya'll. It's called South By Soup Fest and it's a fundraiser that Guero's Taco Bar (yummm! one of my favorite places!) is doing for Caritas - an organization that does so many wonderful things for the homeless and needy in our community.

Read more about this cool program HERE.

It's just one more small thing that is being done to help others. Small things when committed to the good of others, turn into HUGE things!

"If you can't feed a hundred people, then feed just one."

-Mother Teresa-

Food Stamp Challenge: Day 7

2011-03-15T08:31:00.003-06:00

I survived one week! Not a ton of notables today, so here we go:

Morning Weight: 239.5 (Down 6.5 lbs in one week)

Cantaloupe - $0.22
Trail Mix - $0.52
Yogurt - $0.38
-----------------------
Breakfast Total: $1.12

Lunch - One serving of Cabbage Casserole - $0.81

At my team meeting I had some orange slices that my supervisor brought for us - $0.16

After work I went to the Boys and Girls Club and since everyone cheated and there wasn't one winner for our game of Hide & Go Seek, I went to the store to get popsicles for everyone. I had one too! ($0.15)

Snacked on some Cheetos afterward ($0.33)

For small group we had a "potluck." Carolyn made THIS recipe for Corn Tortilla Pizzas and it was AMAZING! I put some beans in my Crock Pot that morning and brought those to share. They turned out REALLY well for my first dry beans ever - just a little bit spicy though.

1.5 lbs of Pinto Beans - $0.53
Sausage - $1.25
Tomatoes - $0.50
Onion - $0.13
Jalapeno - $0.06
(Added salt, pepper, and chili powder too!)
-------------------------------------------
Total for the Pot of Beans: $2.47

Portion eaten by my small group (probably 1/3) - $0.82

Tuesday's Total: $3.39
Challenge Total Spent: $26.08 (about $3.72 a day - leaving some room for down the line or eating out)
Money Remaining for 39 Days: $180.91

Carolyn hooked me up with some coupons for more of the free hamburgers at HEB and some cereal discounts. I will definitely be using those soon.

***Excitement - The auction for the Cirque du Soliel tickets were a HUGE success and brought in $175 for the food pantry at our church! Love it!!!

I want to know: What is your favorite thing to add to beans? Like 'em spicy? sweet?

"God doesn't require us to succeed; he only requires that you try” - Mother Teresa

Cirque du Soliel Ticket Auction

2011-03-14T12:04:00.002-06:00

If anyone reading is in the Austin area and would like to go see Cirque du Soliel, I am auctioning off two tickets for Thursdays performance at 7:30 p.m. The only currency accepted is in pouds of rice for the food pantry at my church. Opening bid is 8 lbs and it has been raised to 9 lbs. Bidding will close at noon on Tuesday and the tickets will go to the highest bidder. If you are interested just leave a comment with your bid or email me.

***NOTE: We are currently at 300 lbs of rice! SO EXCITING!****

One small way to help others.

Food Stamp Challenge: Day 6

2011-03-14T07:11:00.013-06:00

Back to work, back to work! You don't get a spring break when you are an adult so I got up and headed back to the real world this morning.

Morning weight: 240.0

I only ate half my cereal (wasn't really into it) and then ate my trail mix (I really love that trail mix!) when I got to work:

HCF Crisp Rice Cereal - 0.075
1/2 cup milk - 0.095
1/3 cup trail mix - 0.34
-------------------------------
Breakfast Total: $0.51

For lunch I had the AMAZING cabbage casserole that I made over the weekend. SO GOOD! The recipe is HERE if you want to check it out! I made a few changes though:

* I used ground turkey instead of ground beef - it's cheaper

* I added 1/3 of a jalapeno to the onions and meat when I browned them

* I used crushed tomatoes and the rest of the spaghetti sauce from last week instead of rotel and stewed tomatoes since I didn't have any. It's great!

* I used A LOT less cheese. I didn't need all that and it's cheaper that way!

I put the casserole into four serving bowls for the week and the price break down for each serving follows:

Cabbage - 0.48
Turkey - 1.49
Jalapeno - 0.02
Crushed Tomatoes - 0.50
Spaghetti sauce - 0.59
Cheese - 0.17
-----------------------
Casserole Total: $3.25
Serving Total: 0.81

So my lunch cost was $0.81!
In the afternoon I had an orange ($0.16) and bought some more chocolate from my co-worker. He did the math and figured out that for 0.10 I could buy 3 from him. I ate two for $0.06!

After work I had a little time so I headed over to the HEB on North Lamar to get some groceries. My intention was to be very observant and watch how people in this neighbor shopped, while I did my shopping.

I noticed a lot of buying in bulk - cases of sodas, really big boxes of cereal, etc. This is what I've learned in my shopping for this challenge is that bigger is cheaper. I also noticed a lot of unhealthy foods being purchased. The mom in front of me at the checkout had two boys and everything on the checkout was fried - chips, taquitos, etc. She paid her bill with food stamps and there was $3.60 that she paid with cash.

There is not a great produce selection at this location and there was a huge banana display with just a few bananas on it and they were all REALLY green or almost too ripe. I saw people mostly buying tomatoes and potatoes.

I was in the frozen food aisle and there was a mom with her son. They were looking at something in the freezer section and the mom said to the boy, "Do you think this will work?" and he said yes and they stood there and thought for a little bit and then she goes, "Okay, we'll try."

I wasn't sure what they were talking about but I thought they were debating about the food item and if it was appropriate for whatever they were making but the next thing the mom said broke my heart. "We'll see if we have enough and if not we might have to put something back when we check out."

My reality has never involved not having enough money for food or any basic need or even most of my wants. It hurt my heart to think about this kid having to face decisions about which food items to buy because they might not have enough money for it. I know that is a reality that a huge number of kids and parents around the world face everyday.

So I finished up my shopping and here's what I got:Potatoes - cheaper to buy in bulk than by the pound

Lettuce - one place it was marked $1 a head and another it was marked $1.06. When I checked out it rang up $1.06 and I should have said something but I didn't.

Ground turkey - still cheaper than ground beef

Chocolate milk and yogurt - I have been having a little extra money at the end of every day so I got these to add in. I only got the chocolate milk because I've been craving it lately and that usually means it is something your body needs - it's a great post workout recovery drink too.

***I saved the most exciting for last*** The Parrillada (all the meat on the right side of the picture) - A Weekly Meat Pack - a whole chicken, 2 lbs of ground beef, 2 lbs of seasoned fajita thighs, and too packs of either pork or beef of some kind (can't remember) - this is 12 lbs of meat for $18.99! I've only ever seen these at this location of HEB and it's such a great deal! I can't wait to use it all.

So I got all my groceries (plus an amazing deal on shampoo, conditioner, and hair products - $20 worth for $10!) and headed out. I tried to eat half a banana in the car but it was really way to ripe and tasted horrible ($0.09).

I put away the groceries and went to meet Anna and Lorin for a workout, which turned into a nice hour long walk and chat. I love those girls!

When I got home I had a cup of chocolate milk ($0.39) and a yogurt ($0.38). After that, I killed some time, feed some animals that I'm watching, and then met Kevin for dinner. We went to Fish Daddy's and I ordered loaded mashed potatoes (a side item). We had a pretty horrible waiter (never refilling water! ugh!) and when he brought the bill we realized that he had charged my mashed potatoes as "extra cheese" and the cost was $0.50. Kevin paid for the bill but I'm owning the cost.

I set my first ever dry beans out to soak for the night and hit the bed! It was a good day. I felt like I got enough to eat and learned a lot!

Monday's Total: $2.90 (I'm going to try to get closer to $4.50 tomorrow and eat a little more)

Challenge Total Spent: $22.69

Money Remaining: $184.31

“It’s in the places where you’re not supposed to belong that you’ll learn the most. It’s with the people you were never supposed to meet that you come to understand the world better. . . . And it’s in those people that you really encounter Jesus in a way you never knew him before.” -Jim Wallis-

Today, I want to know...what is your favorite casserole?

Food Stamp Challenge: Day 5

2011-03-14T06:19:00.005-06:00

Sunday was a little bit rough. Here's a recap:

Morning weight: 240.0 (a weight I've been trying to get to for a long time but not necessarily in this way!)

I woke up and watched some tv before church. I wasn't really hungry and really didn't want to eggs and tortillas again so I didn't eat breakfast right away. I finally got ready for church and grabbed some food to take with me. By time I got there was feeling a little bit weak and ate my breakfast during the service (that's how we roll at my church!):

4 oz trail mix - 0.52
small banana - 0.12

Worship this week was amazing and each song brought me closer to the presence of God. During the prayer time I asked for prayers for people who are hungry around the world and the Lay Speaker preaching that Sunday, Michael, commented that it's a crime that there is anyone hungry in our world. I completely agree.

After church, we usually go out to lunch and I knew I had some extra money left from the last four days and was really excited about eating out. I voted for either Cheddars or mexican food because I knew both would be good budget options.

We decided on Mexican food and headed to Posados. By then I was pretty hungry! One of the best perks of Mexican food and especially this resturaunt is all the free things that you get with it! I started out with a LOT of chips and salsa:

Notice the cute baby that I got to smile at during the whole meal! (HI EMMA!)

They are a little higher priced than some Mexican places but I ordered a chicken enchilada with sour cream sauce and beans and rice. They brought some free corn tortillas and I had 3 of those. They also bring free sopapillas (which I couldn't eat - darn gluten!) and then there is free soft serve ice cream on the way out the door. Yumm! I ate half of my meal for a lunch cost of $3.945.

I believe this is the first thing that I've paid tax on since I started the challenge.

I was really sleepy so I headed home for a short nap (about an hour) and then went downtown for a "Core for Runners" class at Rouge Running. It was a really good class and much more of a workout than I expected. After that I headed to a free boxing workout with my boot camp. It was seriously HARD CORE! I was sweating from places I didn't know existed.

The only problem was that about 30 minutes into the workout I started feeling kind of weak and knew that I hadn't eaten enough that day or the few days before. I scaled back my effort and took a lot of water breaks. It's not how I usually am during a workout and I didn't like it at all.

After the workout, my friends went out to eat (like we normally do). I just had water and it sucked to not be able to join in with all the amazing looking dinners. I almost ordered the bottomless chips and salsa for $2.99 but it didn't really seem like it was worth it on the budget. I got home at almost 10 and ate the leftovers from lunch for another $3.945.

I had debated if I would eat them since eating half was within the budget but the whole meal was pretty expensive. I was so hungry and didn't want them to go to waste so I did. For as excited as I was to be able to eat out, it was very overrated and I could have had a better meal and saved a lot of the budget money by eating lunch at home. It was nice to hang out with Phil, Amy, and Miss Emma though!

Sunday's Total: $8.53
Challenge Total Spent: $19.79 (still under $4.50 a day average)
Money Remaining: $187.21

On a side note - I found myself being grouchy a few times yesterday and I'm about to write an email to apologize for one of those times. I think that working on balancing the diet and getting more sleep (which I'm more tired the last few days) will help, but if I was grouchy to anyone else yesterday, I apologize.

Today's question is: What other resturants give lots of freebies with a reasonably priced meal?

Food Stamp Challenge: Day 4

2011-03-12T13:31:00.006-06:00

So I eat out a lot. Usually atleast once a day and its a big part of my social life. It is also more convenient when I am running from one thing to the next to just grab fast food....but I have realized that its like atleast 5 dollars for even a value meal and that is over a days worth of food money! I have also realized how eating out is such a social thing. I can't really invite people to go eat when I can only spend $2 and that is one of the main times that people hang out.

Morning weight: 241.5 (I am thinking the 5 lbs was water weight)

I had a busy morning but I didn't want to eat a ton before my workout and eating after I leave the house is a little harder on this budget. I grabbed some snacks and headed out.

4 oz of trail mix (peanuts, raisins and chocolate chips) - 0.52
Small banana - 0.12

I snacked on those in the car before and after Jazzercise. Man! What a workout!

Then I headed to HEB to buy chips for a lunch we were serving to kids we were playing kickball with. This wasn't going to count in budget but I still compared all the prices and opted for big bags instead of serving size bags. The HEB Showdown was for chips so I ended up getting 4 bags for $5!

I headed to kickball and it turned out that only a few kids showed up but we had fun playing anyway. For lunch I calculated the cost of what I ate:

2 hot dogs - 0.62
1 serving chips - 0.13 (yay thrifting shopping)
1 orange - 0.16

The rest of my day involved a shower, a very long nap, snacking, and a lot of tv watching. I also made a cabbage casserole to eat this week.

2 servings of chips - 0.25
Canteloupe - 0.26
2 eggs - 0.21
2 corn tortillas - 0.6
Cup of milk - 0.19
Half an apple - 0.25

Saturday Total: $2.76
Challenge Total Spent: $14.02
Money Remaining: $192.98

I need to work on getting more vegetables and meat in there. The casserole I made will help some.

After napping on the couch I am very ready for bed. I did turn down a request to go to lunch today with Kevin which I usually would have said yes to because of the money. That is where the difficulty of this challenge lies for me.

Do you find that eating out is a big or even small part of your social life?

Food Stamp Challenge: Day 3

2011-03-11T09:34:00.008-06:00

I survived another day! Today was not bad at all. I was pretty tired all day today but I can't tell if it is from the food or from a very busy week.

Morning Weight: 241.5 (Whoa!)

I got to work a later shift today so I got to cook a real breakfast.

Breakfast:
3 corn tortillas - .11
2 eggs - .21
1/8 bag of cheese - .17
------------------------
Breakfast Total: .49

The eggs definitely kept me feeling fuller throughout the morning. Corn tortillas still aren't as good as flour but they are starting to grow on me. I prepped my lunch, got dressed and head to work.

I had a later lunch time today so a snack held me over.

1/2 bottle of Powerade (started at soccer on Wed - still 2 (1/6th) servings left) - .23
1 tablespoon of Peanut Butter - 0.05

Today I wasn't crazy hungry at lunch time but did enjoy another serving of my crockpot chicken. SOOOO GOOD!

Lunch:
2 servings rice - .09
2 chicken thighs - .85
Onion - .08
Carrot - .02
Crushed Tomatoes - .16
HCF Green Chilie Tomatoes - .19
---------------------------------
Lunch Cost: 1.34

I was getting really sleep in the afternoon and took a nap during my break. When I got off I headed home and thought about a snack but I didn't really have an snacky foods. (No Cheetos today! Big win!)

I was invited to a burger potluck at Amy and Phil's house. I provided the burgers (yay for the free coupon I got in the mail on Wednesay. So there was no cost for the meat thanks to that. I also provided canteloupe. We ate 0.26 worth. They provided cheese, chips and pickles.

We played some games and I headed home for bed.

I also made a big bag of trail mix tonight which costs 0.13 per ounce so that will give me something to snack on. I made it ttoday but didn't eat any so that is not in todays total.

I have a lot of working out to do this weekend and will use the excess from the last few days to make sure I am fueled for all the fun!

Friday's Total: 2.87
Challenge Total Spent: $11.26
Money Remaining: $195.74

So my question for you is...what is your favorite INEXPENSIVE Trail mix item? Tomorrow I will tell you what I put in mine.

Food Stamp Challenge: Day 2

2011-03-10T09:05:00.005-06:00

Another day down! I'm still learning about being prepared and cooking enough in advance. I need to start taking 3 meals a day with me everywhere I go since I never know where I'll end up in a day!

Morning Weight: 243

Here's how the day went:

Breakfast:
HCF Crisp Rice Cereal - 0.15 (I don't really love this cereal but it's cheap!)
1 cup milk - 0.19
Banana - 0.18
-----------------------------
Breakfast Cost: 0.52

I had a morning snack while working:

2 tbls peanut butter - 0.10

By lunch time I was pretty much ready to eat my fingers off again. Still working on getting protein in the morning to keep me full. I also was so excited about my lunch. I put it in the crock-pot before I went to bed on Wednesday night and woke up to an amazing chicken creation.

I put 6 frozen chicken thighs (with salt and pepper on them), one small white onion sliced, 1 carrot, 1 can of crushed tomatoes, and one can of Rotel and let it go overnight.

I cooked some rice when I woke up and two servings of rice and two thighs for lunch:
Yummmmm! And there is enough for two more meals!

Lunch:
2 servings rice - .09
2 chicken thighs - .85
Onion - .08
Carrot - .02
Crushed Tomatoes - .16
HCF Green Chilie Tomatoes - .19
Orange - 0.16
---------------------------------
Lunch Cost: 1.54

The oranges I bought are not very sweet at all and left me wanting something lighter. In the afternoon I bought a piece of chocolate from my co-worker who maintains our free candy dish. It's probably cheating but it happened.

Chocolate - 0.05

I'm going to work on using the oranges in something and hope that helps the flavor.

After work I headed to the Boys and Girls Club and stopped on the way at CVS to get deoderant (I forgot to put any on yesterday morning! eek!). The check-out line tempted me and again I bought a bag of Cheetos! I have to stop this!

Cheetos - 0.99

I was suppose to go to a core class with my running group but traffic was horrible and I couldn't make it on time so I went over to the track at Austin High School. I had been wanting to test my mile time. The last time we did it (probably somewhere around a year ago), I was at 15 minutes. This time was 12:51!

I stopped by Wendy's and got a side salad (which is pretty filling and has cheese on it!) for dinner. It was a little more than I wanted to spend. The only cheap things on the dollar menu are burgers, nuggets, and fries. We're going for healthy and gluten-free here so I chose the salad.

Side Salad - 1.61

After a few hours volunteering at the Inside Books Project I was thoroughly exhausted and ready for bed!

Thursday Total: $5.26 (a little over but I had some extra money left over from yesterday)

Challenge Total Spent: $8.39 (still have .61 in surplus)

Money Remaining: $198.61 (It's a little scary to be under 200 now!)

***Today's Fact: "Poverty is a global phenomenon. No matter where you go, individuals living in absolute poverty will never be far away. With the exception of the OECD countries - highly industrialized countries such as the United States and Britain - extreme poverty exists in practically every country on earth. In 2001 (it is difficult to conduct poverty headcounts on a regular basis because of the immensity of the undertaking), 2.7 billion people were living on less than $2 a day, and 1.1 billion people were living on under $1 a day." Source

Food Stamp Challenge: Day 1

2011-03-09T08:19:00.011-06:00

1 Day Down! 45 to go! Here's how it went down:

Starting Weight: 246 (Note: I'm not doing this to lose weight but I think the preparing my own food and limiting portion sizes will have an impact here too - just thought we should track it.)

Breakfast:
HCF Crisp Rice Cereal - 0.15
1 cup milk - 0.19
Banana- 0.18
-----------------------------
Breakfast Cost: 0.52

By lunch I was VERY hungry. I will start packing snacks as well.

Lunch:

Gluten Free Fusilli Pasta - 0.66
Spaghetti Sauce - 0.30
Orange - 0.16
Corn Tortilla - 0.03 (Ate while I was heating my pasta - I was super hungry)
----------------------------
Lunch Cost: $1.15

During the afternoon I was feeling hungry and hadn't had any protein yet so I grabbed a tablespoon of peanut butter for a snack.

Peanut Butter - 0.05

After work, I volunteer at the Boys and Girls Club and was stopping to get gas when I realized that I was still really hungry. I went caved in and got a bag of Cheetos from the gas station (.99) and some Gatorade for my soccer game later. I didn't end up drinking the Gatorade though because you'll see in a second that I found a much better deal on Powerade, so the Gatordate won't count against me.

After the Boys and Girls Club I ran by HEB (gotta work on packing all my meals for the day so I don't have to make more trips to the store to buy stuff on the run). I bought stuff for quesadillas and headed over to Amy & Phil's to cook it before my soccer game.

Challenge Excitement *** When I was at HEB they only had one 10 pack of corn tortillas and one 80 pack (that's it!) I didn't really need 80 since I had 30 at home and the 10 pack was all broken up. So, I grabbed the 10 pack and asked the lady at the register if she would give me a discount since they were broken. She rang it up for 10 cents for me!!! That's a penny a tortilla!

Dinner:

3 corn tortillas - 0.03

3 slices of a small onion chopped - .05

1/8 of a red bell pepper chopped - .09 (I prefer green but they were MUCH more expensive)

1/8 bag of shredded cheese 0.17

------------------------------------

Dinner Total: 0.34

HEB had a sale on Powerade. They were 0.66 for each big bottle and then it was buy 3 get one free. That makes each bottle 0.495 cents each. I drank about 1/6 of a bottle at soccer. For a cost of 0.08. I might have to go back and get some more of that while it's on sale.

Total for the day: $3.13

Total Remaining: $203.87

Challenge Excitement *** I run for the Texas Beef Council's running team and yesterday I received a reimbursement check in the mail for my last race. Inside the envelope was also a coupon for a FREE pack of fully cooked burgers or fully cooked pot roast from HEB. Score!

Last thoughts - I feel like I did a really great job of buying and eating today. I do want to make sure in the future that I have enough fuel for my workouts and running. I'll be sure to get in more protein (which is always hard for me anyway) and that I eat enough to sustain my workout schedule. I have three running races and a triathlon during this challenge so proper fueling will be very important.

***Food Stamp Fact: SNAP, the United States' food stamp program has been around since 1939. Its goal is to provide people earning little to no income with a means of purchasing food. The program is funded mostly by the federal government and each state manages the operation of their own program. In 2008, about 31.5 million people (10% of the nation's population) participated in SNAP.

Food Stamp Challenge - Day 0

2011-03-09T07:55:00.003-06:00

For a while I've been concerned about the differences in fresh, healthy food options at affordable prices at different locations of HEB grocery stores. There is a clear difference in the quality of produce in my neighborhood and in the area where I volunteer. For lent, I decided to take on a Food Stamp Challenge and try to eat on $4.50 a day, which is the average amount that someone in my city receives.

Here are the rules:

1. I can eat and drink only what $4.50 per or $207 for the challenge can buy.

2. Food that has been purchased previously should not be consumed. If I have perishables at home, I can figure out what they would cost and add them to my budgeted food.

3. Spices and condiments purchased previously can be used.

4. All food purchased and consumed, including dining out, must be included in the $207 amount.

5. Free food from friends, family, and work should be declined.

6. The following should not be purchased for consumption, because you cannot buy them with Food Stamps: ready-to-eat hot foods, foods to be eaten on the store premises, and alcoholic beverages.

7. What I consume should equal $207. For instance, I may buy a bag of rice, and eat only half the bag. My 46-day consumption equals the dollar value of the half bag.

8. If I attend a potluck meal (which I will have to every Wednesday during Lent), I must contribute and can eat a modest amount but can not take any leftovers home.

9. I will strive to maintain a healthy diet during this challenge.

10. I must document my total cost for each day on this blog.

11. Try atleast 10 new foods during the challenge.

So, late last night I hit the grocery store to get some food for today and the beginning of the challenge. I was in my neighborhood, where prices are a little higher on some things (mostly meat) so I decided to wait to buy most of the meat until I was near the N. Lamar HEB later this week.

I definitely wished that I had gone to the store with a better plan for the week. I mostly looked for things that were not going to take a big chunk of my money and that I could get a good value for the serving size.

Here are my first purchases:

One special consideration is that I'm gluten-intolerant. I thought about not counting any special products like the $1.99 pasta in my challenge total but I decided that there are probably many families with special diet needs that have to cope on very little.

My biggest excitement in the purchases were the three big carrots for only 18 cents! I will work over the next few days to figure out some meal plans for myself and prepare ahead. I stay very busy and am not home a lot so I need to have food ready to go since eating out is not an option for my budget.

In closing, I want to say that my whole purpose is to learn more about the challenges that people in or near poverty face, to appreciate more the means that I have, and to learn to more fully rely on God and his provisions in my life. Stay tuned. This should be an interesting journey.

Thurmond 26.2

2011-03-07T09:07:00.002-06:00

I'm taking on a big challenge! Most of my blogging this year will be at: http://thurmond262.blogspot.com/

Gluten-Free Review: Udi's Au Naturel Granola

2011-01-13T11:41:00.002-06:00

I looooove granola cereal so I was very excited to find some gluten-free granola on sale at Sprouts this morning. Udi's granola is pretty okay, I'll definitely eat it again. I added milk and blueberries and kept wanting to add sweetner (but it was so far away!). It is kinda nuttier tasting than the box cereal granola.

Likes: being able to eat GF Granola cereal for breakfast, it wasn't crazy expensive ($4ish on sale), good whole grains to start the day

Dislikes: a little too nutty tasting, there isn't much in the bag (they say 11 servings - I say 3)

Book Review: The 100 Thing Challenge

2011-01-04T10:16:00.002-06:00

Since I've been on a reading roll, I didn't really know what to do when I didn't have something to read so I ran to Barnes and Nobles on Thursday afternoon and picked up "The 100 Thing Challenge" by Dave Bruno.

This guy decided to try to live with just 100 possessions for 1 year of his life. Crazy right?!?! Well, now I really want to get rid of a ton of stuff. I have way more than I need or even ever use and I think I'm ready to purge a ton of it. His goal was to release himself from American consumerism and the pull that our stuff has on our lives.

Some parts were a little slow - I more just wanted to get to the getting rid of and living without parts but there was a lot of thoughts of consumerism that I bared through. Overall, definitely worth reading but it might change your life a little...just warning you!

Oh and I picked it up Thursday afternoon and finished it Friday morning.

Book Review: The Long Run

2011-01-04T10:03:00.003-06:00

Pretty much everything on my Christmas list this year had something to do with running. I had been reading a lot about this new book that was coming out and added it to my list. I finished "The Long Run" by Matt Long in just a few days because I couldn't put it down.

So, Matt was a New York City Fire Fighter who was an Ironman triathlete, until he got hit by a bus while riding his bike during the NY Transit Strike. His bike seat pretty much impaled all the way through his body and he broke a ton of bones. He had to get 69 units of blood in the 2 days after the accident and it didn't look good for him. The only thing he had going for him was the fitness of his body and the endurance it was trained to accept.

The book talks about his determination to get back to being the athlete he once was, even with a broken pelvis and a ton of other injuries. His will to get his life back was amazing and he stopped at nothing. Even if you have never put on a pair of running shoes and know nothing about the sport - you will love this book. It's a story of the human spirit and definitely worth reading. I will warn you that some of the medical stuff is pretty graphicly described so don't take this book with you to read over lunch but definitely check it out!

And I kind of have a crush on Matt Long now after reading this book. Just saying.

Book Review: The Grace to Race

2011-01-04T09:58:00.002-06:00

I have been a crazy book reader over the holidays so get ready for a bunch of reviews! For Christmas, my brother-in-law bought me "The Grace to Race" by Sister Madonna Buder.

Okay, this lady is seriously a rockstar. She is in her 80s and does Ironman Triathlons and she's a NUN! I loved reading about her determination and how she overcame so many obstacles in her training and races.

She talks a lot about times when things didn't work out as she had planned - injuries, delayed flights, cabs not showing up - and how those things worked out to actually be blessings in disguse. I finished the book up at the airport coming back from Virginia right before my flight was majorly delayed. It was perfect timing to help me keep my cool and find the best in the situation -- which turned out great for me.

This lady is spunky and focused and I want to be rocking out triathlons and earning world titles when I'm even half her age!

Some non-sports related goals for 2011...

2011-01-03T07:34:00.003-06:00

* Give one months worth of hours in community service (672 hours) during the year

* Read the entire Bible

* Pray for the entire world (each country)

* Declutter and live with as few possessions as necessary. (I plan to declutter between now and Ash Wednesday and attempt the 100 Thing Challenge during Lent.)

* Read more

* Not drink any alcohol. (I'm kind of feeling weird about drinking a margarita when there are starving people in the world and I dont need all those calories.)

Goals are made to be attempted. I may not succeed at any of these but I will try my best. Most of this is spurred on by two books I've read lately that I will review soon for you. "Radical" by David Platt and "100 Thing Challenge."

And let's check in on how I did with my 2010 goals:

Volunteer for as many races as I participate in. (I ran 12 races and I volunteered at about 4. I didn't really plan to run 12 races this year it just kind of happened near the end of the

year!)

Lose 90 lbs before my next birthday (30...that's going to be a work in progress)

Complete a triathlon (check!!!!)

Be a better blogger (not really - Ive tried more lately. I mostly update Facebook and the group I created there for support "Kicking My Own Butt One Pound At A Time" - join it if you are on Facebook!)

Say something nice to someone everyday. (I don't think that I remembered that this was a goal but it was a good one. I'll keep working on that.

Goodbye 2010

2011-01-02T08:42:00.003-06:00

(On NYE with one of my trainers and MAJOR BFF - Jeff Ogden)

Man! 2010 was a great year for me fitness wise. Let's recap! Starting out with 12 races with 12 PRs!

2010 Races
* 4/11/10 Statesman Cap 10K - 1:46:00
* 5/1/10 Gusher Half Marathon - 4:11:00
* 5/16 Deutschen Pfest 5K - 46:53
* 6/6 Danskin Women's Triathlon - 2:47:58 (PR)
* 8/17 Splash & Dash 1:04:41
* 9/28 Splash & Dash 1:00:20 (PR)
* 10/17 IBM Classic 10K 1:41:36 (PR)
* 10/31 Run for the Water 10 Miler 02:43:22 (PR)
* 11/14 Rock 'N Roll San Antonio Half Marathon 03:46:29
* 11/25 Thunder Cloud Turkey Trot 5 miler (4.5 miles) 1:11:33 (PR)
* 12/12 Decker Challenge Half Marathon 3:43:45 (PR)
* 12/26 Zilker Holiday Tree 5K 46:37 (PR)

Let's see how I got there!

2010 Training Log:
* Boot Camp - 106 hours
* Walk/Run - 147 miles
* Swim - 4.5 miles
* Bike - 37 miles
* Exercise/Dance Class - 5 hours
* Pool Cardio - 1 hour
* Strength Training - 1 hour
* Personal Training - 1 hour

I read that athletes keep logs and record everything so I have apparently become an athlete this year just for the mere fact of logging all that!

I started the year at 283 lbs and weighed in this morning at 249.5. Just 2.5 lbs from being able to get back on the bone marrow donor list which you might remember is a HUGE goal for me.

My fitness goals for 2011:

* Lose 70 lbs
* Take another hour off my half marathon time (for a 2:45 run time)
* Complete the entire Splash and Dash race series (as long as I'm in town for each one April-Sept)
* Eat a healthy, gluten-free diet
* Limit alcohol and drink water more than anything else. Drinking calories = bad!
* Possibly consider a marathon at the end of the year but the real focus is the Half Marathon time
* Be positive and encouraging to other athletes and show them the value of their efforts as much as posssible.

(Another smokin' hot Camp Gladiator Trainer - Ali!)

Gluten-Free Me

2010-12-27T09:25:00.002-06:00

So I've been gluten-free for four days now. I've had itchy skin problems for a very long time now and I had a test that was elevated for a reaction to gluten proteins. SO, I am trying gluten-free eating for two months to see if it helps reduce the itching.

It is a lot of reading of products before you choose them but it hasn't been as hard as I thought. Over the holidays my mom was really good about reading every ingredient and making sure everything was okay for me.

My holiday meals were lean meats and veggies and potatoes (much healthier than the rolls, casseroles, and desserts I normally would have feasted on!).

I think I will miss hamburger buns, some desserts, and flour tortillas but if it means a less-itchy life I'm all for it.

My first priority is to find a gluten-free beer that I like! I tried a sourgham beer last night and it was okay. I'll keep you updated on how it all goes and what new things I try.

Ready to Run - Zilker Holiday 5K

2010-12-14T10:41:00.004-06:00

I'm ready to REALLY race. I'm ready to see how fast I can really be when I don't have to pace myself for 13.1 miles. So I'll be running the Zilker Holiday 5K to really push my 5K time.

I haven't run a 5K since May and I came in at 46:53 (15:05 min/miles). My hope for this race is going to be under 40 mins (12:52 min/miles) but will be happy with anything under 46:53 for a new PR. It's on Dec. 26th so that will mean moderate eating and lots of running over Christmas.

This will be my 12th race for the year and hopefully a good way to finish out 2011.

Decker Challenge Half Marathon Race Report

2010-12-13T10:17:00.003-06:00

I've been bad about keeping up with race reports but this monster of a race deserves to be talked about.

Yesterday I ran the Decker Challenge Half Marathon which is the 3rd of 5 races in the Austin Distance Challenge. Let me tell you "Challenge" is an understatement. I went into the race with a week of bad nutrition but did carb up on beer and mashed potatoes the night before!

I woke up earlier than my alarm and hung out for a while until it was time to get dressed. I knew it was going to be really cold and windy and decided to put UnderArmour under my Beef Running Jersey. I threw a sweat shirt and some basketball shorts in my bag for before the race and I headed off to the Expo Center.

I found a spot in the middle of the floor to stretch out a little and get my knee braces and iPod on. Soon my friend Lorin from Boot Camp came over and sat for a while. I nibbled on a almost frozen Power Bar from my car and drank some water. I was a little nauseous and couldn't get much else down.

We saw that there was a bag check so Lorin and I left the warmth of the Expo center to get my bag and to get my gloves from the car (thank goodness!)

I ran into some other Beef Team members and took a few pictures.

Soon we ran into the ever-late Stephen and Inez and worked on getting Stephen out of a grumpy mood. With just a few minutes until race start we headed out in the cold, sang the national anthem, said a prayer, and the gun went off. Immediately I had iPod problems and was trying to work it out as I started running - ugh! I finally stuck my iPod in my sports bra and was good to go.

I hung with a few Galloway walk/runners and tried to keep their pace and finished the first mile in about 14:30. I thought it might have been short but apparently, I'm just getting faster!

Miles 2-4 had a few rolling hills and I was settling into the back of the pack. There were a few people behind me. I finished mile 4 right at one hour. My plan had been 17 minutes miles so I was happy with that.

I turned onto a very lonely Lindell Rd and everyone started spacing out further. I was half a mile from anyone for most of the stretch. I decied that I would start running at the beginning of each electricity pole and try to go about half the distance then walk until I got to the next one. This was a really good strategy and kept me going faster.

I was getting warm so I threw off my gloves at the mile 5 sign but soon regretted it. I should have pushed up my sleeves first. My fingers were frozen for the rest of the race.

I had ridden the same course for my triathlon this year so I knew where the hills were and when to expect them. I knew this road would dead end and turn into a hill. I saw a Shot Block on the ground that someone had dropped and picked it up and ate it. (You gotta do what you gotta do!)

I slowed down as I hit the hill on Mile 6 and as I got threw it a little girl from the water station came running at me with water. It was very nice! I turned the corner at the water station and started down another long, lonely road. I got into my music, enjoyed the scenary, and time with God. Miles 5 and 6 were both right at 17 min/miles. I was doing okay!

I crossed the half way timing mat at 1:48 and did a little math in my head and if I kept this pace I could PR. But wait, what if I don't finish by the cut-off because of the infamous mile 10 hill. I decided to try to keep up my speed but not think about the PR until after mile 10 and then make a decision.

I turned into the feeder road of the toll road and saw a big climb coming up. I remembered walking my bike up this hill in the triathlon. There were no electric poles so I used cones and tried to run every other set of cones. At this point there was one lady behind me - not too too far and then two ladies pretty far back. I could see them when we had a long open stretch.

I made it to the top of the hill and turned the corner at a water station. The volunteers told me there were some nice downhill stretches coming up.

I was starting to fade a little bit and feeling hungry. I decided not too push too hard here because I wanted to have something left for Mile 10. I took it easy on mile 9 and the Beef Team Santa Claus came by and rode with me for a little bit to encourage me on. That was nice. I could see the huge hill coming and I was not excited.

I was feeling pretty nauseous and I thought maybe it would be better if I close my eyes so I don't have to see myself going up this hill. That make the nausea worse so I opened them but kept my eyes on the ground. Everytime I would look up I was closer to the mile 10 marker so I kept them down as much as I could. I reached the mile 10 marker but I wasn't to the top of the hill. Kind of ant-climatic when you are shooting for a goal and its not the top!

I finally made it to the top and by now the lady that had been behind me the whole way had pulled ahead...on the big hill...ummmm wow.

I turned another corner and the Gilbert's Gazelle's people were at a water stop. They said that was the worst of it and gave me some Nuun and Water. Now I was heading straight into the wind and very alone. I could see the lady ahead of me and knew the other two ladies were still behind me cause I had seen them from the top of the hill.

That next mile was brutal and I pushed through into the wind. I made it to the Mile 11 sign and did some math. I could PR if I did these last two miles in 21 minutes each. It was so slow but at this point and with the wind it was going to be close but I knew I could do it. At about mile 11.5 there was another water stop. The ladies were very nice and came down the road to meet me and encourage me on. I could see the 12 mile marker but it was really a lot farther away. It stinks when you can see it for so long from the top of the hill.

I got to mile 12 marker in right about 21 minutes. I was still on track but I was hurting and I was HUNGRY! I passed by a gas station with a big sign that said, "Thirsty" and had a picture of a Coke. My thought was YES, I AM! I was really ready to be done.

We had run this stretch during Mile 1 and I didn't really want to see it again. I made the final turn on the open road and pushed up a little hill to the entrance to the expo center. I was passed around then by a marathon runner who had to do two loops of the course and I thought about how crazy this guy was!

I headed up a little hill into the expo center. The EMS guy rode next to me for a while and chatted and told me I was doing a great job. My nose was running like crazy from the cold weather and my running shirt was covered in snot at this point!

The rest of the way was just following cones, I really couldn't see the finish and had no idea where I was going so I kept going. I made a few zig zags with the cones and then turned left and saw the finish! I was so close. I looked at my watch and new I had about 4 minutes to get to the finish to even slightly beat my PR.

I didn't have much push left in me. Right about then a little Cyndi Lauper came on my iPod:

You with the sad eyes

don't be discouraged

oh I realize it's hard to take courage

in a world full of people

you can lose sight of it all and the darkness inside you can make you fell so small

But I see your true colors shining through...

Right then I pulled off my ear buds because I saw my friend Stephen from camp coming toward me at the finish. I yelled to him that I was going to beat my PR by 3 minutes.

He said, "THEN GO!" so I took off in a sprint and crossed the finish line!

I got my medal - yay for races that don't run out!

Stephen didn't really expect me to be finishing when he came outside. He was coming to ask the volunteers for a medal for me incase I didn't make the cut off or they ran out. Lorin and Inez came out and hugged me and took me inside to the pile of food they had collected for me. Such great friends! I'm so happy that we are doing the Distance Challenge together. It's so much more fun having them at the races with me.

I was seriously starving but very proud of myself.

I learned a few things:
1. I am MUCH faster when I don't slow down to talk to old ladies on the race course (but I do enjoy it)

2. I need to work on my race nutrition. I should not be hungry during a race and definitely shouldn't be starving in the last few miles.

3. I need to work on my general nutrition - it will be so much easier to get up hills when I have less weight to get up there.

4. Never throw my gloves...ever! :)

5. Keep finding repeating points like cones or power poles to push myself.

6. That while I generally hate competing, I LOVE competing with myself and probably will never be able to not atleast attempt to make a PR

I'm going to take it easy for a few days and then get back in action. I REALLY want to test my mile and 5k time because I haven't in a very long time. My fastest time mile was right around 15 minutes and I did 14:30 for the first mile of this race. Racing it, I think I could see a huge improvement. I want to see my progress and see how hard I can push myself on shorter distances. My next half marathon isn't until the end of January so I'll keep busy during the holidays but cut back a little too.

Grace

2010-12-10T11:09:00.002-06:00

So...a guy I used to know/sorta date is in jail right now because he killed his infant daughter. From what I can put together, he dropped her and then when she wouldn't stop crying he kind of snapped and hit her in the stomach which killed her.

It's horrible and there is no excuse to ever ever ever hurt a baby.

But I'm conflicted because my first thought every time I think about it is that I hope he seeks forgiveness and grace from God.

Now, if this was Joe Blow from Who Knows Where I am very certain that my first thought would be what a sick-o, he deserves the worst punishment ever. I'm not saying that this guy does not deserve to punishment for what he did at all. He does, but he (and everyone) also deserves grace. And the more I think about it, I really feel that only because I knew this person and cared about him that I can feel this way about his soul.

And the more I think about it (I've thought about this a lot lately), I think that maybe this is how God feels about us. Maybe when He sees us sinning His thought is that He wants us to seek forgiveness and ask for grace because He loves us so much that He just wants us to be restored and whole.

Maybe (and I definitely believe this is true) His first thought isn't vengence but pity - like I feel for this man. I've never really viewed God this way and it is interesting that a murder is the catalyst of it.

I really think that through all the crap we do both big and small, God looks at us and yearns for us to be back in His love. That no matter what you might have done (even murder), He sits there loving us, reaching for us, and trying to pull us back to His grace.

I don't know but I am thankful for grace.

Sorry...sorry...sorry!

2010-12-09T08:25:00.002-06:00

I have been a bad blogger! Life is crazy busy and I love it! Let's see what's been going:

- I ran the San Antonio Half Marathon crushing my half time by over 25 minutes! 14th PR in a row!

- I'm helping to direct a 5k this coming Saturday that the girls at my church are putting on to raise money for a well for a village in Africa. There is SO much work involved!

- Sunday I'm running the Decker Challenge Half Marathon which is truly going to be a challenge! Huge hills and really cold weather. Let's hope I don't die.

- I've been having really bad skin problems for a few years which have gotten worse over the last few months. Going to the dermatologist today and hoping for a solution.

- I'm leaving next week for Virginia to see the coolest kids EVER Cooper and Joslyn!

- I'm just half a pound away from losing 30 lbs!

- I started a really great prayer/devotional book called Common Prayer by Shane Claiborne and it's about how we connect as a church worldwide through litergy and common prayers and I'm loving it.

Yep! That about sums it up! I'll try to be a better blogger...try! Have a great rest of your week!

Well...

2010-10-27T10:41:00.003-05:00

247 by 10/27 didn't happen. Actually up to 261 today but I'm not giving up. I'm going to work even harder....maybe 247 by 12/25? That would be a nice Christmas present to myself!

I was talking to my trainer, Brandon, today and he sees me running 10 minute miles (the last time I tested it, I was at 15 min/miles and can in a long race pull off 16 min/miles). Sounds like a challenge so I'm up for it.

Run For The Water 10 miler this weekend. Race report will of course follow!

IBM Uptown Classic 10K Race Report

2010-10-18T08:35:00.003-05:00

One down...four to go in the Austin Distance Challenge! YAY!

Friday at lunch, I went and picked up my race packet, which had some pretty good stuff!

Saturday morning, I realized that Luke's Locker (running store) had opened and that they had wide widths of Brooks - I had REALLy been needing new running shoes so I headed down and picked up these beauties (Brooks Ghost 3)!
Race morning I woke up at 3:45 (ugh!) and napped on and off until my alarm went off at 6 am. I knew parking was going to be bad and after 7 am I'd have to park pretty far away so I got up and go ready.

I marked with my arm with intended pace chart to keep me on track. (This was AMAZING by the way. It helped SO much!)

My previous 10k time was 1:46 and my plan was to cut 6 mins for a 1:40.

I am running for the Texas Beef Council's Beef Team now so I got in my running jersey and headed off!

I was super early - do to the parking thing so I had a lot of time to get my distance challenge bib, drink some water, eat some applesauce, use the port-a-potty twice and meet up with some of my Camp Gladiator friends.

I wasn't as nervous as I used to be, I guess I'm getting better at race day nerves so that's good. I lined up with my friends and at 8 am we took off!

The first mile was good, there was a good number of people around and I held a good speed. I picked off groups of people that I wanted to pass up (or atleast stay up with) and that helped a lot. I got to mile 1 and was under my pace time!

During mile 2 it started spreading out a little bit and we went through the Domain shopping center. I smelled breakfast cooking somewhere and it got my HUNGRY! :)

There was a good downhill portion I enjoyed the day. My iPod died at about Mile 2.5 because it got a little too sweaty. I need to get a case for it.

I was ahead of my pace at the mile 2 and 3 markers. I hit the half way mark at 50 minutes and was feeling good.

I knew I was slowing down a little bit and tried to keep up the pace. I went down a hill to reach mile marker 4. Still right on track with my pace goal.

BUT... as soon as you pass mile 4 marker there was a BIG hill. I was a little slow getting up and took a while to recover. At this point, I couldn't see any other racers anywhere but I definitely knew I wasn't in last place. I had seen others behind me in the earlier miles. Everytime I would turn around there was no one at all.

Mile 5 went back through the IBM campus which was pretty and there was a nice breeze. I was 1 minute behind by time I hit the mile 5 marker but I was feeling good.

The last mile was the toughest. I was getting really tired but it was an out and back pretty much so the people ahead of me were cheering me on and when I made the turn around I could finally see the people behind me. I had a big lead on them. I cheered them on and kept going.

Everyone was pretty much walking toward their cars and would at some points realize I was still racing and cheer me on. I passed mile 6 and turned the corner for the home stretch. I adjusted my clothes so I would look presentable for my pictures, picked a spot to start my sprint and took off once the announcer called my name.

Official time: 1:41:36! A new PR by 4:24! We'll take it!

The pacing chart REALLY helped and pushed me to make the next mile in time. I will definitely be doing that again. It was a good race and I pretty much ate everything in site yesterday afterward. I'm ready for a stretch out run this afternoon and then to start preparing for the Run For The Water 10 miler on Oct 31st.

Oh! The best part was my friend Gina from Boot Camp was out there spectating and she had it all figured out where I and her other friends would be at certain points and ran around like a crazy woman to cheer us on. It helps SO much to have someone tell you that you are "Smokin' Hot" when you are getting close to Mile 3!

Austin Distance Challenge

2010-10-15T09:43:00.002-05:00

Ummmm.....I.....am.....scared! I just signed up for the Austin Distance Challenge! So, I pretty much signed my soul away (not really - just my legs!) and commit to run the following:

IBM Uptown Classic 10K (this sunday)
Run For the Water 10 miler - Oct 31st
Decker Half Marathon - Dec 12th
3M Half Marathon - Jan 30th
Livestrong Austin Half Marathon - Feb 20th

Plus, I have the San Antonio Rock N Roll Half Marathon on Nov 7th. (I mean 14th - thanks Endi!) Who's ready for an adventure!

I'm heading on my lunch break to pick up my packet for the first race. Game on!

10 in 25!

2010-10-14T08:29:00.003-05:00

25 days into healthy eating, writing down everything I eat, only drinking water, and no fast food (I had one happy meal - I will admit - but I go no cheese, apples, and water!) and I'm down 10 lbs! I lost 2 lbs this week!

So I'm 10.5 lbs away from my bone marrow goal of 247. I might not make it by my birthday but I'm on the way! Maybe it'll be my Thanksgiving present to myself instead!

Car troubles for the last few days inspired me to walk the 5.5 miles to work this morning. It wasn't bad! I might do it again sometime. SUCH a good workout!

Working out!

2010-10-06T07:22:00.002-05:00

I've been trying hard this week to get in some extra workouts. I've sorta weighed a few times throughout the week and think I've been retaining a lot of water. The numbers had gone up but are slowly creeping back down.

Saturday - 6.2 mile walk run
Sunday - walking around/setting up silent auction ALL day (7-3) yes that is a workout!
Monday - 30 mins water cardio and then 1 hour of boot camp (wasn't really feeling it)
Tuesday - 1 hour bootcamp, 1 mile on treadmill, 1 hour Zumba
Today - LAST CHANCE WORKOUT! Plan to swim and workout at gym before 1 hour of boot camp

We'll see what the scale says tomorrow. I've been working hard on getting in extra fruits and veggies and was able to get 6 veggies and 2 fruits in yesterday! YAY!

We'll see what the scale says tomorrow morning. Hopefully I'll be at or below my last weigh in (259.5). I'm going to work hard today to see results!

Weekend: FAIL

2010-10-04T08:36:00.003-05:00

You do great on the eating healthy and the working out and then the weekend comes! (Dun dun dun!) Actually, I did okay on the working out. Saturday morning I got up and did 6.2 miles at Lake Pflugerville. On the second 5k lap I ran into my friend and her kids and walked with them and even raced the kids for some parts.

Then most of Saturday and all day Sunday were setting up for and manning the silent auction at church which meant a LOT of walking around - hours of it. So I'd say on the exercise front I did okay.

HOWEVER, the food situation - not so much. I did make a few good choices with Subway for dinner Friday and breakfast Saturday morning but there were a few too many free kolaches and cookies that were consumed during the busy days at church. I didn't eat a single vegetable yesterday.

But you live and learn. I woke up at 4 this morning not feeling great but went to the gym pool for 30 mins of cardio in the water (high knees, butt kicks, running, and swimming) and then headed to boot camp for an hour. My knee started hurting after Saturday's 6 miles so I didn't push too hard today but will pick it up this week.

This week's goal: VEGGIES, VEGGIES, and more VEGGIES!

247 by 10/27

2010-10-01T08:14:00.002-05:00

I decided its time to step up my fitness and really make some progress. I've been working hard at boot camp for the last 3 weeks (1 week off sick though) and my trainer encouraged me to keep a food diary (which he checks in on!) to track exactly what I'm eating. I'm also stepping up the water drinking and trying to get more sleep.

On the Biggest Loser they have to weigh in on TV and show the world their progress and I thought maybe if I did that too, it would make me more accountable for losing the weight.

At my heaviest I was 283. After 6 months of boot camp I had been stuck between 262 and 269 and couldn't get out. I would lose and gain. With the food tracking, I weighed in on Tuesday at 259.5. Whew who!

So it's time to work toward the next goal: 247

This is the weight required to be listed as a bone marrow donor. I had matched with a child a few years ago who needed a transplant but couldn't get within the weight range quick enough and was disqualified. My goal is to be able to call the Marrow Donation program on my birthday, Oct 27th, and tell them that I am eligible to be listed again.

It's not going to be easy and it will mean a lot of early mornings and healthy snacks but I am ready to push my body and see where it can take me. I'll let ya'll know what I'm doing to get there each day and hopefully we'll see results.

If in 27 days I'm not there and I've tried my hardest I will be satisfied with that but you may have noticed that I like big challenges and they are what drive me to do big things.

So ya'll have full access to the next 27 days and the journey that is starting right now. Want to see what I've eaten on any given day? Visit my FOOD LOG. It's on!

Top 5 Reasons I Sort of Feel More Like An Athlete Lately...

2010-08-24T12:51:00.004-05:00

5. I bought my very own timing chip strap for triathlons. No more borrowing.

4. I have a sports bra tan line.

3. I drink out of water bottles more often then cups.

2. I usually have a change of clothes and shower stuff with me everywhere I go.

1. I have become a Dri-Fit snob. I can't handle wearing cotton when I sweat anymore.

All Your Questions Answered...

2010-08-20T10:24:00.005-05:00

So, I asked my Facebook friends to ask me some questions --anything they wanted to know about anything and here we go:

Kate Johnson asked, "What's on your bucket list?"
Well, Kate! There are about a million places that I would love to travel. I'd love to see a lot more of Africa (South Africa, Ghana, Rwanda, Egypt, back to Kenya). I'd love to go to India and Australia and Tahiti. I also would like to run some half and full marathons in cool places (maybe some listed above!). I could go on and on really!

Jeff Montgomery wants to know, "What are your thoughts on the Vibram Fivefingers when it comes to running?"

Some of my friends from boot camp wear the Vibrams and they LOVE them. They are so light (as opposed to shoes) that it's easier to move in them and they feel faster and have improved their running form.

However, they don't have any kind of temperature control so in January when we were running in snow, my friend said his feet were VERY cold and I'm sure running on hot pavement doesn't feel good either. The other bad thing I've heard is that they really smell bad once you've sweated all in them.

There are tons of articles about how great they are for you to learn to run on your forefoot. I went to a focus group with Brooks running shoes and they said that (and let's just point out that they are of course going to say their shoes are better for you) barefoot running is all overhyped and that you can correct your form in any shoe and that the support of shoes are preferable. They did say that it is good to run some short sprints on soft grass after a workout to build the muscles in your feet.

I think I'd like to try them on just to see how they feel but I don't think I'm hard core enough to run in them!

Desirée's qusetion was, "How did you get started blogging?"

I had to look back at my first post (here if you want to read it!) to answer this because I don't really remember but I think my answer is...I was bored! I was reading a lot of other people's blogs and wanted to start one of my own.

The best part of blogging is all the wonderful people that I've met who read my blog and who's blogs I read. I feel like I really know some people who I have never met! (Hi guys!)

We'll combine the next two questions from Jon Medina "How important are expiration dates? and/or How do you decide to do the daring things you do?" and Cindy Nance "HAHA, I second Jon's frst question! I was gonna ask about what you thought about expired pudding as a diet control measure."

This all stems from a Facebook post the other day when I asked how bad it was to eat expired pudding cups because I was eating one for lunch and it was very expired.

One of my favorite things to do is clean out the fridge at church and at Kevin's house and through away all the expired stuff. Apparently when it comes to my own house, I'm not as attentive!

Saturday I cleaned out my fridge and here is everything that was expired:

The beer expired in February and you don't want to know what the almond milk looked like.

So the answer Jon and Cindy is...DON'T EAT EXPIRED THINGS but a little adventure is good every now and then so if you are up for some fun try some old pudding!

Kim Richards asked, "If you could have a superpower, what would it be?"

There are two answers to this question. Answer one is the good, humanitarian answer, which is I'd love to have the power to heal people. To just be able to touch someone and take away cancer, AIDS, or some other life threatening disease would be an amazing power.

Now, the selfish, wow-that-would-be-cool side of me says FLYING! It would be awesome to fly around like Superman!

Beth Bible wanted to know, "What is your most favorite place you have ever been? (traveled to)"

My sister tried to spoil my fun and answer for me and say Kenya and that is true but I'll be a little more specific. When we were in Kenya, we went to Maasiland, which is a very remote tribal area that is rarely visited by anyone. We were greeted with dancing and these beautiful smiles:

We were taken to this very, very tiny church that was built out of scraps of metal and wood and decorated inside with peices of sheer fabric, calendars, and anything that was available. These people had nothing and when they got a piece of something to put together their church they used it. They were so excited to share their church and faith with us and to have visitors. This church has only 2-3 men since the tribal culture includes polygamy and most of the men of the tribe do not want to leave that behind to follow Christ.

This was my favorite place because of the beautiful loving people and their love for God.

Got more questions for me? Leave them in the comments!

Splash and Dash Race Report

2010-08-18T07:55:00.002-05:00

Yesterday I finished the Splash and Dash at Pure Austin and let me tell you it was HOT out there! It was over 100 degrees and it sure felt it! I hydrated really well all day. Having over 100 oz. of fluid before lunch. I got off work, put my running shorts in the washer and rested in my bed for a while.

Usually my races are first thing in the morning so I don't have time to get really nervous but this time I had all day long to think about it!

I got dressed and headed out a little bit before 5 p.m.

I had half a Clif Kid Z Bar on the way (these things are AMAZING!) with some Gatorade and Water.
I got there and checked in and got my swim cap and timing chip. I headed off about a 1/4 of a kilometer to the lake entrance and set up my transition area. The transition was really rocky so I looked for an area that would require the least amount of time on the rocks. I got set up and had had my socks, shoes, and knee braces all ready to go, I folded the other half of a towel over them to keep them from getting dusty.

I grabbed my swim cap and goggles and at about 5:45 headed down to the water. Everyone was just hanging out in the water, swimming around, talking and relaxing. It felt really nice on such a hot day.

We got our instructions and a few times the guy said that if we weren't sure we could make the swim to just get out and he'd give us our $10 back and we could still have a hot dog. There was no exit from the lake other than the one entrance and if you weren't sure you couldn't make it all the way back it would be really hard to rescue you.

I knew I could swim 750 meters, I had done it just last week but that was a pool and I could rest on the sides but I felt confident that I could finish the course since it was about the same as Danskin and I had done it without using any floaties or help.

So the men took off and 3 minutes later we were off. I stay in group near the back and was holding my own. I had gotten pretty good in the pool with breathing but in the choppy water I couldn't keep a rhythm and kept my head above water most of the time. The water was VERY warm probably in the 90s and it made it harder to breath. Every now and then you'd get a cold spot in the lake and it was such a relief!

There was another girl in the back with me for the entire swim and I was just happy that I wasn't wasting as much energy as she was by going off course so much. There was a guy on a paddle board for safety and he stayed right by me for the entire race since I was the back group and he was really nice. He kept encouraging me and when I turned into the sun and couldn't see the bouys he gave me some other landmarks to aim towards.

The crazy swimmer girl came out ahead of me and I finally finished up and made it to the shore. I got to my transition and put on my shoes and socks and headed off taking my Gatorade with me, which was hot at this point. I left it at the gate and took off on the run. I never could get my breathing under control after the swim and I tried throughout the run to control it.

Swim and T1 time: 29:39

I took off on the first of 3 laps (2 miles) around the lake and my legs felt SO heavy! There were a lot of nice people encouraging me along the way. One lady suggested running in the shade and walking in the sun so I did that and it helped. The back side of the lake had a nice down hill and then a paved section so I was able to run a good streth of that. I originally had a goal of 1:30 but saw that I could probably make it faster than that after the swim. I set my new goal for 1:10 and figured I needed to stay around 10-11 minutes on each lap to make it.

I grabbed a water with about 1/4 of the 1st lap to go and drank some and poured the rest in my hair. All summer I've been hating having long hair but for the race it came in handy! I had a loose ponytail/bun at my neck and I poured half the water into my hair and then squeezed it like a sponge when I got extra hot. It worked perfect!

1st Lap: 11:41

I took off on lap 2 and there were still a lot of people on the run course. There were a lot of ladies and even some men who I thought would have been done by then. I kept going and tried to stick with the plan from the first lap and kept going. There was a lot of nice words from people and I grabbed another cup of water and filled my sponge hair. I worked hard to keep smile on my face and I got a lot of comments that I was looking strong.

2nd Lap: 11:38 - Probably the only negative split I'll ever have in my life :)

Nearly everyone was done at this point and I told the timing guy one more lap as I crossed for lap three. There were still a few people on the course but most were just runners not in the race. I tried to check for ankle chips before saying good job to people but gave up and just said good job to everyone I saw. The last lap was hard. It was SO hot and I was just ready to be done. I looked for my land marks and kept an eye on my watch. I knew I would finish well before my goal. I got to the water station and they had already packed up just when I needed water the most. My mouth was getting dry but I pushed through. I picked the spot that I would start sprinting for the finish line. There were two nice ladies at the finish line and they cheered me in. I ran hard and crossed the line and they took my chip.

Lap 3: 11:41

I was SERIOUSLY exhausted. It could not have been hotter out! I got my gatorade which tasted horrible at this point and went to pack up my transition area. I changed into flip flops and put some clothes over my bathing suit and sat on a rock for a few seconds to rest. My legs were very heavy.

The parking area was about a fourth of a lap back (where the water station was) and I knew I had a walk ahead of me. I was really slow getting back up the hill and around the path but I took it easy and tried to sip some water. I grabbed a hot dog from the food area and sat down and took a few bites and decided to get in my car and head home before I got more tired.

Overall Time: 01:04:41

I am proud that I finished and even though I struggled I know it was mainly because of the heat. I haven't been able to handle the heat well this summer and am very ready for some cooler temperatures. I may have come in last but the way I see it...I got 74 minutes of workout time out of my $10 while some of those people only got 24 minutes of workout time. I'm the real winner with a great return on my investment! Another good note is that even though I drank tons of fluid all day long, I lost a pound and a half yesterday!

I went home, showered, and got in bed. Was too tired to even eat! I am signed up for the event again in September and hope it will be a lot cooler than. I look forward to crushing my time and now that I know more what to expect have no doubt that I can do just that.

If I can do this...anyone can do this!

Time to Race!

2010-08-16T11:01:00.002-05:00

I've been missing the excitement of racing day since the Tri and have had the busy summer to recover and get in boot camp when I could. I found a race that I'm really excited about and it's tomorrow night!

I've never done a week night race before but I think it will be fun to head over after work and do something like this. I'm doing a Splash and Dash (which is great because I don't really love the bike part of the tri!). It's a 750 meter swim and then a 2 mile run at a small, private lake near my work. My friend Brandon gave me some great swimming tips the other day and I got to practice them at the Aquatic Center when I went to visit my parents this past weekend so I think my swim will be much stronger than it was for the tri.

I'm working today on getting hydrated and figuring out how to quickly get through transition in such a short race. I'll let you know how it goes!

It'll be a fun end to summer and a good kick off for half marathon training, which starts next week!

How To...

2010-08-03T07:57:00.000-05:00

I watched How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days this past weekend for the millionth time and I thought that I could do some "how to" segments on my blog. So what are some things that you want to know how to do. If I don't know how to do it I'll figure it out for us and let you know all about it. So if you have been lurking and never commented here is your chance. What do you want to me to tell you how to do?

God desk at work...

2010-07-30T10:20:00.002-05:00

probably looks a lot like mine but a lot more packed with pictures, because I think when God is sitting there hard at work, He takes a second every now and then to glance up at a picture of me and of you and to think about how much He loves us.

Book #29

2010-07-28T11:05:00.003-05:00

Save This Shirt

by Hannah Rogges

I was hanging out at the Library yesterday and saw this book. It had some cool ideas but mostly they were just ways to make it into another shirt. I was thinking there would be completely different ideas. They did have ideas for an ipod cover and purse but I was thinking it would have something much different. It was cool but not as cool as I had hoped.

5 Questions

2010-07-27T08:24:00.002-05:00

I say, when you have nothing to blog about, steal questions from other people's blogs and answer them!

1. What were your school colors?
High School - blue and gold
Texas A&M (Undergrad) - Maroon and White - WHOOP!
St. Edward's (Grad School) - Dark blue and gold - maybe?

2. What's the best compliment you ever received?
One of the kids from church wrote on my Facebook wall the other day:

"Cortney!!! I love that you have always been here for me! I love that you were my chrysalis sponsor which really meant a lot to me! I love that you always tell me that you heart me:) I love that you believe that I can be a nun! (I will be!!) I love that you are getting better at your creeper face! I love that you always... have a smile on your face and persevere through the tough times! I love that you have shown me God :)"

3. Do you buy cheap or expensive toilet paper?
Moderately expensive - not the most. It's something that I hate buying though and will wait until I have NONE left at the house and then buy it when I'm on my way home that night.

4. Have you ever had a surprise party thrown for you? Or have you had one for someone else?
I have been to them for other people but haven't organized one or had one thrown for me. I think it would SUPER fun though. I think it would be hard to surprise me though.

5. What is one material possession that you "can't live without"?
Probably my cell phone. I could live for a day without it but I talk to my family a lot and would be lost without it!

Your turn! Or if you have questions you want me to answer - leave them in the comments.

Every Two Weeks

2010-07-21T19:40:00.001-05:00

This summer is flying by! I can't even believe that it's almost over. I had something big scheduled every two weeks this summer, which made getting through work on days when I wanted to be swimming in the lake a lot easier. With a Senior High Mission Trip and a Girl's Chrysalis Flight behind me, I leave tomorrow for a Junior High Mission Trip. Then in two weeks my sister, niece, and nephew are coming to Texas to visit! My brother in law will be coming a few days after them.

So a lot of fun has been had and there is still a ton to look forward to!

Hope you are enjoying your summer!

Threes

2010-07-13T09:16:00.003-05:00

3 Names I Go By:

Cor Cor - by my niece and nephew and now pretty much everyone
Cortneykins - by my buddy Leah
C - by High School Friends

3 Places I Have Been:

Kenya - best experience of my life!
Monterrey, Mexico - for a mission trip to build a Sunday School room for a church
Gulf Shores, AL - crazy family vacation at the Roach Resort. :)

3 Favorite Drinks:

Coke - Classic not Diet or flavored
Texas Martini at Chuy's
Powerade slush with strawberries from Sonic

3 Jobs I Have Had:

Online Cancer Information Specialist
Substitute Teacher
Scrapbook Store Cashier

3 Places I would Like To Visit:

Australia
South Africa
Ghana

3 TV Shows I watch:

Bachelor/Bachelorette
Gray's Anatomy
New favorite - Top Shot

3 Fave Retro Shows:

Cosby Show
Saved By The Bell
Full House

3 Things I Am Looking Forward To:

Junior High Mission Trip
Scott Family's Visit to Texas
San Antonio Half Marathon

3 Favorite Dishes:

My mom's grapeleaves
Veggie Tacos/Fajitas
Cheese Fries (not really a dish but SO good!)

Book #28

2010-07-01T08:38:00.002-05:00

The Church of Irresistible Influence by Robert Lewis

Summertime means more time for reading, so I'm back on track to finishing the Lent 40 by the end of the year. My Pastor gave me this book a few months ago and I never really had time to sit down and read it. I took it with me on our youth mission trip and really got a lot out of it.

The book is about building bridges between the church and the community that it is in. A lot of it is common sense things that churches need to be doing but stuff we easily forget about when we get caught up in doing church every week. It's all about showing God's love instead of just talking about it, identifying the needs surrounding us and identifying the gifts and graces of the people in the church and using those gifts to meet the communities needs.

My way of serving at our church next year is going to be to connect people with service opportunities in the area that fit with their gifts, which I am really excited about. This book was a good way to refocus on the purpose of serving and how to build bridges. I would highly recommend it.

50 Questions That Will Free Your Mind - Part 4

2010-06-22T07:00:00.000-05:00

31. At what time in your recent past have you felt most passionate and alive?

Finishing my last two races, my second half marathon and my first triathlon. I worked hard and accomplished big goals that I had set for myself. They were both amazing experiences.

32. If not now, then when?
When I grow up!

33. If you haven’t achieved it yet, what do you have to lose?

Not much! Anything is worth a try. I really have worked this past year on trying big, hard, scary things. Things that seemed impossible for me and amazing somehow I have done them. What I know is that I didn't do any of it on my own. It was the strength of God pushing me on so that it could be for His glory and I do give Him all the praise for it. The worst that could happen would be that I wouldn't make my goals. As long as I didn't stop trying that was good enough for me. There was nothing to lose!

34. Have you ever been with someone, said nothing, and walked away feeling like you just had the best conversation ever?

Yeah. My grandma.

35. Why do religions that support love cause so many wars?

I don't know but if we quit trying to be religious and started loving people like God calls us to we won't have to face anymore wars. If each person loved their neighbor there would be no way that we would ever consider bombing anyone.

36. Is it possible to know, without a doubt, what is good and what is evil?
I don't think without a doubt. There is always a clever disguise on evil and the people and things that you think are good are sometimes just a front. If something is of God then it promotes love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. If there is no love than it can't be good because good comes from God.

37. If you just won a million dollars, would you quit your job?

Definitely.

38. Would you rather have less work to do, or more work you actually enjoy doing?

More work that I actually enjoy doing. It doesn't feel like work when you love what you are doing. That would be the ideal.

39. Do you feel like you’ve lived this day a hundred times before?
Not at all. Each day is new and brings new opportunities and challenges. I've never felt that way at all.

40.When was the last time you marched into the dark with only the soft glow of an idea you strongly believed in?
Last time was when I signed up for a triathlon. Had no idea what I was doing, what to expect, and I didn't even have a bike, but I believed I could do it and I marched in and I did it! I need to work on taking that boldness into other areas of my life to march into other dark areas to help others.

50 Questions That Will Free Your Mind - Part 3

2010-06-21T07:00:00.001-05:00

21. Would you rather be a worried genius or a joyful simpleton?

Definitely a joyful simpleton. God didn't give us a spirit of worry but He did give us a spirit of joy so I would rather be where He is!

22. Why are you, you?

I'm who I am because of how God created me, how my parents raised me, because of the experiences I have had, because of the Spirit living inside me, and because no one else could EVER be like me!

23. Have you been the kind of friend you want as a friend?

Sometimes. I think I have done an amazing job being friends with some people. I try to make the effort to keep in contact with people even when they don't do the same. I also recognize that I have failed at some of my friendships too and did not treat them the way I would want to be treated. You have to learn from those mistakes and use that to do better next time.

24. Which is worse, when a good friend moves away, or losing touch with a good friend who lives right near you?

I think losing touch with a good friend that is near you. Distance can be overcome and you can make a friendship last from far away but to be close to someone and not have the relationship you used to have with them is much more of a loss.

25. What are you most grateful for?

What am I NOT grateful for? My life has been SO very blessed with an amazing family, a faithful and loving God, great friends, and on top of it all I've never had to worry about if I would be able to eat or if I was safe going to sleep at night. I am blessed beyond measure.

26. Would you rather lose all of your old memories, or never be able to make new ones?

I think never be able to make new ones. My memories make me who I am, without them I would have no clue who I was, what I believed in, where I stand, or what makes me me.

27. Is is possible to know the truth without challenging it first?

Well, I think you can know it but not KNOW it until you challenge it. Opening your mind and trying out new ideas is where you get to grow and figure out if what you've heard is really true and right for you.

28. Has your greatest fear ever come true?
No, there are horrible things that happen to people in this world and I have been spared so so many of them. There is nothing that I have faced that even compares with some of the autrocities of this world.

29. Do you remember that time 5 years ago when you were extremely upset? Does it really matter now?
No, that's such a good life lesson that the things that were so worrisome five years ago or even last week generally mean nothing now. I was thinking that five years ago I had just moved to Austin and I was thinking about joining a group at church but it required a 2 year committment and at that time I had no clue if I would still be in this city and now I can't imagine leaving it.

30. What is your happiest childhood memory? What makes it so special?
One thing that sticks out in my mind is this day that my dad picked me up from pre-school in his truck. We went home and made these open face hot dog sandwich things we used to eat and had a Diet Coke. When the can was empty we would always fill it with water and drink that since you could have only one coke a day. I don't know why I remember that day but it was a safe, happy day.

50 Questions That Will Free Your Mind Part 2

2010-06-17T10:13:00.007-05:00

11. You’re having lunch with three people you respect and admire. They all start criticizing a close friend of yours, not knowing she is your friend. The criticism is distasteful and unjustified. What do you do?

Ideally, stand up for my friend and tell them to stop. And reconsider my respect and admiration of them.

12. If you could offer a newborn child only one piece of advice, what would it be?

The only thing you ever have to be is the person God created you to be.

13. Would you break the law to save a loved one?

For sure, want me to steal? murder? I'm on it! (No, no! Not really!) It would depend on the situation.

14. Have you ever seen insanity where you later saw creativity?

This is the only thing that is coming to my mind right now. At church for Vacation Bible School, they go all out for decorations and honestly, I thought it was kind of rediculous to do so much and paint huge murals and make so much (and I still pretty much do). But this past week I've had some free time and helped paint some of the animals for the walls and it is really fun. It is really a task to match the colors and shading and you really get to use your creative side. So while I still think it's kind of insane, I do appreciate the efforts and creativity involved now.

15. What’s something you know you do differently than most people?

I really can not think of anything. I'll have to pass on this one.

16. How come the things that make you happy don’t make everyone happy?

Because everyone is different. My life experiences and beliefs give me a different filter to look at the world with than anyone has ever seen it before. Things that make me happy stem from the filter that I use to see those things. Also, some people can never be made happy. They prefer to dwell in the negative of life.

17. What one thing have you not done that you really want to do? What’s holding you back?

Visit more of Africa. Time off and money.

18. Are you holding onto something you need to let go of?

I think I'm good right now. There have been times when I could say yes but I'm very content with my place in the world right now.

19. If you had to move to a state or country besides the one you currently live in, where would you move and why?

Kenya!!!! I love it there. It's beautiful. I love the people. I feel God there. I could go on and on and on!

20. Do you push the elevator button more than once? Do you really believe it makes the elevator faster?
Yes, yes I do. Deep down I think I might.

50 Questions That Will Free Your Mind Part 1

2010-06-17T10:11:00.001-05:00

50 Questions That Will Free Your Mind are questions that are meant to not have a right or wrong answer but to open your mind up some. So here we go!

1. How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you are?
Hmmm! I guess I don't really feel much different now then I did at 23. Wouldn't be younger since I've finished college. I'll go with 23.

2. Which is worse, failing or never trying?
I think never trying for sure. I try to live by that but I don't always have the guts. I've tried a lot of really hard things that I never thought I could have done (especially in the last year) but I still hold back, like the other day I was at the lake with some friends and I wanted to try tubing while being pulled by the boat but I couldn't get the nerve up to do it and it was mostly for the fear of not having enough strength to pull myself up onto the tube from the water. Sometimes you put yourself out there and it's great and sometimes you don't and you move on.

3. If life is so short, why do we do so many things we don’t like and like so many things we don’t do?
I think because life isn't just about doing what is fun. You might not love going to work everyday but it's a means to an end. You go to work so you can earn a paycheck and time off so that you can go and do things you do love to do. We like things that we don't do because either we are afraid to try because no one has ever pushed us to try it.

4. When it’s all said and done, will you have said more than you’ve done?
I hope not! St. Francis of Assissi said, "Preach the gospel at all times. If necessary, use words." I hope to live my life in a way that people can know who I am and what I stand for just by my actions and how I spend my time.

5. What is the one thing you’d most like to change about the world?
Bono said in a speech once that "where you live should not determine IF you live." The thing I would most want to change about the world is that no matter if you live in a ritsy neighborhood in the U.S. or in the slums of Africa that you have the same rights, opportunities, and necessities in life.

6. If happiness was the national currency, what kind of work would make you rich?
I think I would be rich by playing sports with underprivileged kids all day. I love being outside, running around, playing games and if I could live off of the happiness that would bring me, life would be good!

7. Are you doing what you believe in, or are you settling for what you are doing?
I don't hate my job but like I said earlier I see it as a means to an end and I don't necessarily see "what I'm doing" as what my job is. I try to use the hours outside of 7 a.m. and 3 p.m. to do what I believe in: volunteering, hanging out with friends, getting healthy, accomplishing goals, etc.

8. If the average human life span was 40 years, how would you live your life differently?

I would be nearing the end of my life and I think I would worry a lot less about the future and where I am going and use each moment to love those around me and to make a difference in my world. I guess I don't always see the urgency to do those things since I feel like I have so much time.

9. To what degree have you actually controlled the course your life has taken?

I don't know about that one. I have made many choices in my life, both good and bad. I do believe that God has a plan for my life and all that He has in store for me is good. I also believe that He gives us room to make our own choices and acecpt the good things He has planned or not. So I think it's half and half maybe? Part of Him guiding me and directing me and half of me straying and trying to get back.

10. Are you more worried about doing things right, or doing the right things?

I would say doing the right there. Everyone has an opinion on how to do things the right way and you can never really live up to the expectations of how others want you to live your life, but if you are following your heart and the call that God places on your life and you choose your actions by putting love first then you can't go wrong. My mom says that its always right to do the right thing.

Hymn #57

2010-06-15T21:06:00.006-05:00

At church we are in the process of hiring a new worship leader and it has gotten me thinking about music and worship and styles and I realized how my taste in church music has evolved over the years and how Christian music in general has grown in the same time.

I thought I'd go through the United Methodist hymnal this summer and look at some of the songs that have been passed down for generations, see what I can learn from the songs, and see if there is any modern spin on it.

What better place to start than at the beginning! Now, I know you are thinking but the title says Hymn #57. The hymnal has a bunch of prayers and sacramental readings and other things that come first so #57 is where it all starts off.

Now, when I was young and I would be standing there in church and they'd say "Now open your hymnal to page 57." A moan would escape my lips. Seriously!??! It was the most boring song in the ENTIRE WORLD! They would sing it SO SLOW! It sounded a lot like this:

It is called "O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing" and it wasn't until a year or so ago when I heard a remade modern version of the song that I learned to love it in both the new and old form.

O for a thousand tongues to sing
My great Redeemer’s praise,
The glories of my God and King,
The triumphs of His grace!

...

Jesus! the name that charms our fears,

That bids our sorrows cease;

’Tis music in the sinner’s ears,

’Tis life, and health, and peace.

He breaks the power of canceled sin,
He sets the prisoner free;
His blood can make the foulest clean,
His blood availed for me.

How could a thousand tongues NOT want to sing about a Savior that makes the foulest clean. It convicts me about how I fall short in constantly praising God and how much I take for granted the gift of love that God gave us by offering His Son to die for each of us.

He speaks, and, listening to His voice,
New life the dead receive,
The mournful, broken hearts rejoice,
The humble poor believe.

I love this part because I think I go throughout my day, my week, my year! without ever really stopping to listen to His voice. He speaks. to ME! and if I was really listening I would hear words that bring new life and can heal broken hearts. I love how freeing that is...all I have to do is listen.

So here is the 2009ish version by David Crowder Band:

So come on and sing out

Let our anthem grow loud

There is one great Love

There is one great Love, Jesus.

I'm thinking about...

2010-06-15T13:25:00.003-05:00

I'm going to start the training on June 29th and see how it goes as I get closer. I'm not sure I can meet the cut-off time (7.5 hours) at the pace I'm at now. If I see that I might not make it, I might decide to do the half. We'll see! I'm always up for a challenge!

Getting Crafty

2010-06-13T07:43:00.003-05:00

This summer I'm volunteering at a girl's retreat and the theme is all about turning from a caterpillar into a butterfly. I said that one of the youth at church and I would make name tags for the weekend. Someone gave us about 75 wooden butterflies and we turned them into this:

You could do this on paper or anything wood too. All you have to do is get a container of water (make sure it's now one you care about - I learned that the hard way) and get a few bottles of enamel paint from the craft store. It's with all the model car stuff. They are about $3 each. Put a few drops of each of your colors on top of the water with a paint brush (we just did red and yellow but you could put more than two colors if you want) and then use the end of the paint brush to swirl it around. Then lay the item on top of the water. Press it lightly so that the paint will get all over and then lift it out. Set it on paper towels to dry. It may take a few tries to get the technique down but it gives a really cool effect.

You will have to use paint thinner to clean up any messes so we learned to put paper towels everywhere around us in case we dripped. It was really fun and an easy craft project for the summer!

Danskin Triathlon Race Report

2010-06-10T10:41:00.005-05:00

Here is the long awaited race report for all those who are dying to know!

Saturday morning I went and stood in line for an hour and a half to pick up my packet for my first ever triathlon! After the packet I got in another line for my swim cap and t-shirt. Then it was off to the race site to rack my bike. Saturday night my parents came into town and we met a ton of my friends at the Olive Garden for an amazing carb party. You really can never go wrong with the O.G.!

Once I was all carbed up, I laid out everything I needed and headed off to bed. It was so hard to pack for my first tri, I had gotten good at laying stuff out for runs but there is SO much stuff for tris, plus nutrition and water.

We got up at 4:30 on Sunday morning and headed to the race site. I was SUPER nervous, not knowing what to expect or do or where to go. I got on a bus and headed over to the race site (my parents had to wait in a different line because spectators get to ride after all the athletes). I got there, got body marked with my race number and age (29 - UGH! They make you round up!) and set up my transition area next to my bike.

I was worried that I had forgotten something and looked over it a million times. Finally, the girl next to me said - "It's all there. You are good. Don't worry." I must have looked worried! My bike pump made me the most popular person around as everyone borrowed it who forgot theirs.

I finally left the transition area and hit the port-a-potties. I went to wait on my parent's bus. They were still not there and in poor planning I had left my breakfast with them. They finally got there just in time for me to run a Clifbar they were holding to my transition spot before they kicked everyone out. I got my parents settled, took a few bites of my breakfast cookie and it was time to head down to the water.

I was in Wave 11 so it was a little while before my blue group took off. Finally it was our turn, we got in the water and got to swimming. Immediately a few people stopped to rest with a swim angel but I kept going. I was steady at the back of the pack and I was okay with it. I passed a few green caps (the wave in front of me) and kept going. There was some open space and I back stroked a while when I could. As few waves caught up with me from behind and passed me and I was alright with that. The scary part was when they would engulf around me and sometimes kick me. I really enjoyed the swim. I saw my friend Briana that was a swim angel and said hi to her. It was really humid and my goggles were foggy so I had trouble seeing the final linish when I made the last turn. The water got rougher as I approached shore but I finished the half mile swim portion in 30:58.

I headed up a hill to the transitions area. My parents and friends were cheering me on when I got out of the water and that I was great! I switched into biking shorts and tennis shoes and put on a shirt, sunglasses and biking helmet. I took a few bites of a Clif Z Bar and had some water and headed out of the transition area. Transition time was 7:11. I definitely want to cut that down next time.

I got on my bike and headed off. The course was SUPER hilly and I definitely had not practiced enough for that. I learned a lot just during the ride though about gears, braking, passing people, and not going to fast at the bottoms of hills and being burned out by the time. I ended up walking parts of three big hills. When I was getting close to the end of the bike course I could see some ladies on the run course so I cheered them on and they were cheering me on in return. It was really encouraging.

My dad and my friend Leah were waiting at the end of the bike course to cheer me on. I heard Leah's voice before I heard her and got really excited. I dismounted and went back to the transition feeling good. It seemed like during each event (near the end) I would start to get tired, but as soon as I started a new event, I had new energy and was ready to go! My bike time was 1:10:51. Definitely room for improvement but not horrible for my lack of training.

I racked my bike, switched my helmet for a visor and went to eat the rest of my Clif Bar which was now covered in ants. UGH! I had some water and a gu and headed off for the run/walk. Transition 2 was 2:58.

Right as I started on the run I met this lady named Heather who I stuck with for a little while. She had a huge bag of blueberries and offered me some. I don't like blueberries but these were seriously the best thing I had ever tasted. I was SO hungry. After a little while, she picked up speed and I was on my own. It had been overcast all day (Thank God!) but the son was starting to come out a little bit and it was getting warm. At each water station I would take two cups and drink one and pour the other down my back.

I talked with a few people and then saw a girl that I had seen on the bike course, Kerry. I told her that she did a great job on the ride and we walked together for a good while. There was a big down hill parts and I told her that I was going to run the downhill. She joined me and thought that was a really great idea. We soon came to another downhill which I was going to walk and she said, come on let's run this one too so we did. We got more water and everyone kept warning us that there was a big hill coming up.

It was a long hill, which you don't really want at this point in the race! We slowed down quit. At one point she asked if I wanted to run to the next trail marker and I laughed at her. There was no way I could run uphill at the point. We were so close!

We came to the final water stop and some of her friends were waiting to cheer her on. They ran in the rest of the way with her and they took off. A man was sitting there and he goes, wow - look at you - you are still smiling! I think that is the coolest part of it all to me. When I'm in a race, I can't not keep a smile on my face. I was accomplishing a huge goal! What is there not to smile about!

I had been warned that people always started to sprint when they made the last turn and started seeing people but that you should wait to sprint because the last stretch is longer than it looks and you'll burn out. So I took it easy as people were passing me, suckas! :) I was nearing the end and I saw Sarah, a girl from my boot camp who was volunteering and she encouraged me to finish strong. I got to the last stretch which had a gate up and started to run HARD. I saw Leah running on the other side of the gate cheering for me and I crossed the finish line. Run time was 55:24. Overall time was 2:47:25 (a great number to beat next year!) I AM A TRIATHLETE!!!!

I got the chip removed from my ankle and found out that they had run out of medals, which was not really fun but it happens. I got a cold bottle of water which was AMAZING!

I hugged my family and friends and wanted nothing more than to take my shoes off and get my flip flops on!
We rested a little bit before heading out and getting some lunch. I took a nice long shower (I was FILTHY!) and took an amazing four hour nap!

It was an amazing day and I am so glad that my parents, Leah, and my trainers Jeff and Ali were there to share it with me. I can't wait to do it again!

Here's what I want you all to know...if I can do this stuff, YOU can do this stuff. Get out there. Try something new. Set a big goal and just do it! You'll love how you feel when you accomplish it!

I'm officially...

2010-06-07T15:54:00.002-05:00

A TRIATHLETE!

Race report coming soon!

I have a reason to sing, I have a reason to worship

2010-05-24T10:50:00.002-05:00

I can't get enough of this song!

The Desert Song by Hillsong United

VERSE 1:
This is my prayer in the desert
When all that's within me feels dry
This is my prayer in my hunger and need
My God is the God who provides

VERSE 2:
This is my prayer in the fire
In weakness or trial or pain
There is a faith proved
Of more worth than gold
So refine me Lord through the flame

CHORUS:
I will bring praise
I will bring praise
No weapon formed against me shall remain
I will rejoice
I will declare
God is my victory and He is here

VERSE 3:
This is my prayer in the battle
When triumph is still on its way
I am a conqueror and co-heir with Christ
So firm on His promise I'll stand

BRIDGE:
All of my life
In every season
You are still God
I have a reason to sing
I have a reason to worship

VERSE 4:
This is my prayer in the harvest
When favor and providence flow
I know I'm filled to be emptied again
The seed I've received I will sow

My sister says...

2010-05-21T13:18:00.002-05:00

I'm a slacker! It's not like it's a new thing, me being horrible at keeping up with blog. I've been having a lot of fun, working out a ton, and enjoying life. Tomorrow is Gladiator Games and I hope to take a few more second off my 5K time. I'll let you know how the race goes! I'm ready for a great weekend with some beautiful, warm weather.

2010 Deutschen Pfest 5K Race Report

2010-05-17T07:52:00.005-05:00

Last May I heard about a 5K in the city where I go to church (Pflugerville). I had done a few 5Ks for charity before but never really been serious about it. I signed up and finished the race in 54:01. Then I was 21 lbs heavier and hadn't worked out in forever. What a difference a year makes! I've learned so much about fitness, running, hydration, clothing/equipment, technique in the last year.

I woke up Sunday morning and realized that I always get to races WAY too early and then get ansy walking around and waiting so I laid in bed a little longer and watched TV. I finally got up and got dressed and headed to Pflugerville. I stopped at the church for some water for after the race and then parked near the starting line.

I grabbed my timing chip and pins for my bib (really could they not have put that stuff in the packet?!?!) and it was just time to line up. Perfect! I got in the middle of the pack - behind the runners - in front of the strollers - where I like to be!

We started off and I jogged the first bit. I remembered that last year I started off to fast and wore out. As soon as you turn the first corner there is a long (not really too steep) hill so I wanted to not wear myself out. I took it easy and fell behind some people but my plan was to run the downhills and that worked well as there were a good amount of down hills.

It was nice to do this race for the second time because I knew what to expect, knew where the water stops would be, knew when I was getting close to the last turn....it was nice to not be blindly going along.

My PR before this race was 47:14 and I wasn't sure if I was going to try to beat it but I kept the number in my head. I got to the 1st Mile marker and looked at my watch and I was right at 15 minutes, which is pretty fast for me. I didn't know if I could maintain it but it was looking good.

I decided I would get in atleast two good stretches of runs for each mile to try to keep the pace as long as I could. Mile 2 came and it was 31 minutes, I had slowed a little but was still on track to do really well.

I felt some cramping in my side like I had in the past but now I knew how to handle it, stretching and slower water drinking and I was fine. I saw mile 3 and then I saw the last turn and knew I was getting close. I kept my arms pumping the whole race and was doing well.

I stepped up my pace and I looked up at the clock at the finish line. I knew I had started 30 seconds after the gun and tried to do the math in my head but all I could figure out was that if I pushed it, I could beat my PR. At the 3 mile sign (with .1 left to go), I took off in a sprint. It might have been a little too hard but I didn't want to slow down that close to the finish so I kept going. Usually at the finish, I'm looking around at people, smiling, preparing for a good picture, but this was about beating my PR so I stayed focused and pushed hard.

The official results say 46:53, which is 21 seconds off my PR (my iPod said I was about a minute off of it) and 7 minutes off of the same race last year.

All my hard work at boot camp has paid off. I have another race this coming Saturday and hope to shave a few more seconds off my time.

So...

2010-05-13T08:25:00.004-05:00

I woke up Sunday morning with a stomach bug, which I'm still fighting with on Thursday. I worked out lightly Monday and Wednesday. On Tuesday I wasn't as queasy so I did a full workout at boot camp. I'm trying to eat bland things - lots of grilled chicken and mashed potatoes (I break the vegetarian rule in situations like these). The good news is I've lost 4 lbs, the bad news is that this is not the way I want to do it!

I'm going to try some different medicine today and hope that helps. I really really want to get to swimming and biking but just am not up for it in this state. Hopefully this will pass soon.

Day 2

2010-05-07T08:36:00.005-05:00

I should just start out by saying that today was a big FAIL.

> No drinking anything but water - I drank TONS of water but I also drank a Mexican Martini at Chuy's.

> Pack a breakfast and lunch (or have a veggie sandwich from Subway) plus snacks for work every day - I didn't pack snacks (no groceries! - I'm going shopping this weekend) but I did have a foot long veggie (bread scooped out - double all the veggies - YUMM!) Subway for lunch!

> Get some exercise every day - Besides carrying a huge box of books all the way across the church campus - I didn't really get any exercise in.

> Keep track of all food and exercise - I did great until I left work - that's always the hard part.

> Wear my Bodybugg everyday - check!

> Have lots of fun! - I had fun sitting on the porch at Chuy's and catching up with my friend Kristin who I haven't gotten to see much lately.

> Blog for everyday of the next 33 days about my progress - Here I am - check!

> Get 8 Hours of Sleep - I feel asleep watching TV around 9:30/45 and then got up and brushed my teeth and sleep until 6 a.m. - CHeck!

Maybe not a huge fail, but I can do better on eating and exercise.

1 Day Down, 33 to Go!

2010-05-05T21:09:00.002-05:00

Day One is over - let's see how I did:

> No drinking anything but water - I did it! It was so hard because I heard someone in my office open a can of Coke and I wanted it so BAD! It's also Cinco de Mayo and it was really hard to not go for a margarita with friends. I drank 3 Camelback bottles of water. That's my goal for each day.
> Pack a breakfast and lunch (or have a veggie sandwich from Subway) plus snacks for work every day - I did pretty well with this but my friend invited me to lunch so I didn't eat what I brought but I had a rice and broccoli bowl so it was a good choice. I did have cake at an award's ceremony at work but I passed up the donuts a co-worker brought so that's progress at least.
> Get some exercise every day - 1 hour of boot camp and about 30 mins playing in the pool with Jr. Highers.
> Keep track of all food and exercise - I entered everything into Bodybugg (I consumed 1,848 calories and by the end of the night will have burned 2,881 calories). I need to get more fruits and veggies in.
> Wear my Bodybugg everyday - check!
> Have lots of fun! - Definitely had fun today. I enjoyed playing around with the Jr. Highers from Bible Study and we played Capture the Flag at Boot Camp which was fun too. This was my first day at camp in about a week in a half due to meetings and it felt so great to be back.
> Blog for everyday of the next 32 days about my progress - Here I am - check!

> Get 8 Hours of Sleep - I'm going to add this goal. I didn't get it last night. I went to bed at about 10:45 and woke up (before my alarm - ugh!) at 5:55. I did snooze but we won't count that.

Time to Get Serious!

2010-05-04T11:57:00.004-05:00

I'm recovered from the half marathon (mostly) and ready to really get serious with the working out and eating right. Tomorrow is 32 Days from my first triathlon (.5 mile swim, 12 mile bike ride, 3.1 mile run). I didn't train for the half and I felt it. I want to put in my best effort and do my absolute best on this triathlon.

So here's my plan (starting tomorrow):

> No drinking anything but water (Goodbye Cokes and margaritas - I'll miss you!)
> Pack a breakfast and lunch (or have a veggie sandwich from Subway) plus snacks for work every day
> Get some exercise every day - taking a slow walk on rest days
> Keep track of all food and exercise
> Wear my Bodybugg everyday
> Have lots of fun! - If I'm not excited about the workout I have planned - I'm going to do something I will enjoy.
> Blog for everyday of the next 32 days about my progress

Gusher Half Marathon Race Report

2010-05-03T10:12:00.003-05:00

Last year I heard that the city I grew up in, Beaumont, was having it's first half and full marathon. I thought it would be fun to do a race in my hometown so in December I signed up. Because I'd been going to Boot Camp and having a crazy life, I didn't really train for this race like I did the last. The furthest I had gone was 6.2 miles for the Cap 10K a few weeks before.

I had raised $620 for World Vision already so I figured I should stick it out and do the race anyway. I drove down to Beaumont (4.5 hours) after work on Friday and checked into my brand-new hotel. SO NICE! I met up with 3 friends from high school and had some spaghetti and fried lasagna to carb up. Then I went to the host hotel and picked up my packet which was kind of a mess. I got back to my car and noticed the shirt was the wrong size and then that the timing chip had someone else's name on it! So I went back in and switched it out and headed back to my hotel. I got settled in and ready for bed and laid everything out for the next morning.

I watched a little TV and then went to bed at about 11. I usually sleep really badly the night before a race because I'm anxious about the race and worried about getting up on time but the bed in the hotel was SO comfortable and I slept like a baby! When my alarm went off at 5 am, I almost thought about just skipping the race and staying in that bed longer but I got up and took a shower (after calling down to the desk to ask how to turn it on!)

I got dressed, packed, checked out and headed down to Lamar University for the race. It was really humid and drizzly. Not fun.

I got to the starting line at about 6 (way early) and had a blueberry crisp Cliff Bar (YUMM!) and some water. I used the port-a-potties and walked around for a while stretching out. I decided that my Brooks were already hurting my feet and decided to switch back to my older Nikes (still don't know which would have been better - neither would have been great). I found some real restrooms and used those and then checked my bag into the bag check because I knew I'd want my flip flops right after the race.

It was getting close to race time (7:30) and I had to pee a little bit but didn't want to miss the start so I just got lined up. It rained a little while we waited for the start making it steamy out but let up pretty quickly.

The gun sounded and we were off. There was about a 2 mile loop through the campus, which was pretty easy (the whole course was mostly flat) before we returned through the starting line. This time we went straight down a major round in Beaumont. I got in a good pace and talked to some people who were around me a little. I had powerade at mile one but there was not anymore for a long time. I passed up Gu at mile 3 because I wasn't needing it yet but ate half a banana. I went down an underpass and back up it.

This was kind of a long lonely stretch but we finally got to a turn around Mile 5. I got some water and kept going. It was at Mile 5 that I was passed by the first Marathoner - this means he was at mile 18. Crazy fast! I only got passed by one marathon at each of the next few miles, which means this guy had atleast an 18 minute lead on everyone else.

We headed into downtown and it was like a ghost town. All the streets were blocked off for the race so there were no spectators that kind of stunk.

Mile 6 water stop was my absolute favorite! They had oranges at a lot of the stops but they would hand you a whole orange and really that's not easy to eat in the middle of a half marathon. At mile 6 then had a ton of pilled oranges on a table and I grabbed a few sections. This was seriously the best orange of my life! Just passed the water table you made a turn around and came back by it. When I came back they gave me a glass of ice water. I had been dying for something cold and it was amazing! I drank the water and put the ice on my wrists to cool down. We went through downtown and I met some new friends and walked with them for a while. They were really nice and I got to know a lot about them. At mile 7, I got some more oranges and a vanilla gu. Around the next corner they had another stop and finally I got some more powerade. I had been needing it so bad. I got a powerade and a water and kept going.

At mile 8, my new friends had fallen behind so I pushed on without them. I got another half a banana at the station and some water and went back up to the long, lonely road back toward campus.

This time there was a long hill - not very steep but climbing and it was a challenge. I think I had gotten too much fruit at the previous stations and was feeling full and slowed down some.

It was probably 1.5 miles her without a water stop and it was not my favorite part. I was getting tired of my music so I took my ear buds out and just kept going. A lot of the marathoners were really encouraging as they passed me. I was amazed that they had done the whole loop twice by now.

I got back up to a more populated area and grabed some more water and kept going. Mile 11 headed us back through campus and it was a nice relief from the empty streets. R. Kelly's "World's Greatest" came on my iPod and got me pumped up and I knew I could do it. There was a lady near me that looked like she was having really bad shin splints so I talked to her for a while and then passed her after the water station. We went back through campus.

The next stop was giving out cookies but all I wanted was some water and to get finished. It had been cloudy all along and the sun was starting to come out and it was getting warm. I kept telling myself that my flip flops and ice cold Coke were at the finish line for me.

The next part was to go out and back to the Spindletop Gusher, where oil was first found in Texas that started the oil boom in the area. There was a cone there and I got to it and headed back. I grabbed some water and headed back. The mile signs were always hard to read but this was about Mile 12. Right then I saw my new friends from Mile 6. The mom was having a lot of pain from a heel spur. It had been hurting her but she didn't want to go the doctor and have him tell her not to do the race. She had been struggling with it the whole time. The daughter told her mom to walk with me and that she'd run the out and back and catch up with me.

I tried to ask the mom a lot of questions to keep her from thinking about the pain but she was really hurting. The daughter caught up and the mom was slowing down so I said bye to them and kept going. We had done this part of the course at the beginning so I knew what was left and it wasn't much. My legs were so tired, my feet were burning, but I was doing great. I kept an eye on my watch and just wanted to finish by noon. I was on track to do it.

I go to the next to last turn and the Police office there was really nice. He said "I'm the last Po-Po in line so you are really close. You are doing great." Then he left to offer a ride to her car to a lady who was having trouble walking after she finished. I headed over a bridge and made the last turn. I saw the finish line! There was a couple standing in the road about half way to the finish line that told me I was doing great and cheered me on.

I got closer to the finish and had lots of people cheering me on. I sprinted out the finish (which did not feel good at all in my legs!)

My Nike Plus said my time was 4:11 and the official results say 4:13:28.1 for 712th place. I wasn't last and I finished and that's what matters most. It also means I took about 31 minutes off my PR! I was proud to have the medal around my neck.

I got my flip flops and two cups of Coke and some pasta salad and headed to my car. I was driving to my parent's house (about 2.5 hours away) to spend the night. My legs got really stiff in the car but I kept trying to move around as much as possible. One thing that was weird that my skin was covered in salt all over. It was really weird! It was even in my eyelids. My friend, Briana, said I needed to replace electrolyes so I had some powerade and french fries that afternoon and felt better.

I also borrowed my dad's compression stockings and that really helped my legs recover!

Overall it was a great experience and a completely different world from my last race with mono! I look forward to more halfs in the future and to imporving my time!

Book #27

2010-04-28T10:47:00.003-05:00

Triathlon 101 by John Mora

I had some time to kill yesterday so I went to the library and read this book. I didn't read every single word but I did read something on every page. It has some really great information about the history of triathlons, training, nutrition, and race day tips. I was most interested in learning more about the "fourth sport" or triathlons - transitions. It had some good information. I think that is the scariest part to me for my upcoming tri (besides being very undertrained at this point) is how to do the transitions. This helped a lot!

I might not have made 40 books in 40 days but I'm still going and hope to finish up by the end of the year.

Saturday is my second half marathon. My goal is to take atleast 45 minutes of my previous time and though I haven't trained as much for this one as I did the last I feel very confident that I can do that.

MIA

2010-04-22T07:21:00.001-05:00

My blogging time has been re-routed to updating my Dad's Caring Bridge Page. Feel free to check in there to get updates on how he is doing. We would appreciate all your prayers.

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/rbtsmith/

One Day Without Shoes 2010

2010-04-08T07:11:00.003-05:00

Fact #1:In some developing nations, children must walk for miles to food, clean water and to seek medical help.

Fact #2:Cuts and sores on feet can lead to serious infection.

Fact #3:Often, children cannot attend school barefoot.

Fact #4:In Ethiopia, approximately one million people are suffering from Podoconiosis, a debilitating and disfiguring disease caused by walking barefoot in volcanic soil.

Fact #5: Podoconiosis is 100% preventable by wearing shoes.

TOMS Shoes created One Day Without Shoes to help us remember and advocate for the millions of people in the world who don't have shoes and who suffer illnesses because of it. This is my way of brining awareness. Next time you buy shoes, consider buying TOMS. For every pair you buy, they give a pair to a child in a developing country. Get a pair...give a pair.

I dream of Breakfast Cookies

2010-04-01T11:02:00.003-06:00

I recently found a recipe for a breakfast cookie and I was a little skeptical at first but then I went to the store and got the stuff and I have to tell you it's amazing! Last night I kept waking up thinking about how great it was going to be in the morning - yes it's that good!

Now it may not look beautiful and I was too excited to eat it to take a picture first but here is my first attempt:

The one I made today was even better. It's super easy to make and you just throw it together at night and put it in the fridge and grab it to take with you to work in the morning. All the credit for it goes to The Fitnessista.

Here's how you make it:

In a small bowl (I used a plastic container with lid so I could take it with me to work in the morning), add 1/3 cup oats, 1 tbs nut butter -any kind (I used regular peanut butter but I'm dying to try it with dark chocolate peanut butter - yumm!) and 1/2 scoop protein powder (I used chocolate Biggest Loser Designer Whey).

Add some seasonings - I use 1/2 of a Truvia packet (but anything to give it a little sweetening). I really want to try some cinnamon in it soon.

Stir to combine and use the spoon to break up the nut butter until it is a crumbly mixture.

Add 1/8 cup milk of your choice (I use unsweetened vanilla almond milk) and mix until fully moistened.

Then you can add any mix-ins that you want! Some suggestions are: banana, raisins, pumpkin, chocolate chips, ground espresso beans, unsweetened cocoa, supplements (anything you want).

I put 1/2 a mashed banana and a few mini chocolate chips in mine. YUMMMM!

Mix it all together really well and use a spoon to flatten it into the container. Put a lid on it and let it sit in the fridge overnight. The oats will soften up and the nut butter will harden a little and it's perfect to eat with a spoon. Let me know if you try it and what you add in.

I'm in love!

Book #26

2010-04-01T10:39:00.005-06:00

The Nutcracker retold by E.T.A. Hoffman

Sooooo...in all the years that I went to see the Nutcracker ballet at Christmas time I don't think that I really knew what was going on. However, I don't know if the story in this book is anything like what was happening on the stage. It was a very odd story that is VERY unbelievable but whatever. I definitely had to filter myself with all the "nutcracker" jokes that came to mind. Ehh. It was okay. I do want to see the ballet again now to see if it makes anymore sense.

I LOVE CAMP GLADIATOR

2010-04-01T10:32:00.003-06:00

I really am loving my boot camp. I'm kind of addicted to it. It's great! Last night we were playing a game and this girl was chasing me and I sped it up and didn't let her get me. I've taken 47 seconds off my mile time in the last month and I'm feeling great.

Here is a video from the camp in Dallas in case you want to see what it's like. It's really a lot of fun and I've made a ton of new friends!

I LOVE CAMP GLADIATOR!

Book #25

2010-03-30T20:31:00.002-06:00

Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney

After work today I went to Book People and killed some time before boot camp reading Diary of a Wimpy Kid. This book is seriously hilarious. I caught myself laughing out loud in the middle of the bookstore a few times. There are a lot of funny pictures and I love how he calls people fools. "That fool went..." So cute! It's a new movie too so I think I need to go see it now. It's over 130 pages and I read it in less than an hour. It's great!

Book #24

2010-03-30T20:27:00.003-06:00

The Bug in Teacher's Coffee and Other School Poems by Kalli Dakos

One of the kids from church read this book to me on a road trip last weekend. It was not very entertaining and the poems didn't make much sense.

Book #23

2010-03-26T09:11:00.003-06:00

How NOT to Start Third Grade by Cathy Hapka

The pictures make this book. The way the kids are drawn just make me smile and the story is funny too. I've never had a younger sibling but this definitely tells it like it is. Highly recommended by me! It's for about 2nd -3rd graders.

Book #22

2010-03-26T08:51:00.003-06:00

Hocus Pocus Hound by Samantha Hay

My friend, Leah, works at BookSprings which helps get books into the hands of kids who might not be reading at home. Before the books can be given to kids they have to be read by staff or volunteers to make sure the are appropriate and there aren't any harmful stereotypes. She just dropped me off a bag of books to read and to have some of the kids at church help read too.

I couldn't resist so I immediately pulled a book out of the bag and gave it a read. This book is so funny. I would love to read it to Cooper. He would think it was hilarious because the little dog gets a little fiesty to the mean magician. Really cute!

It's fun to be helping out while reading!

Book #21

2010-03-25T21:38:00.003-06:00

You Are Special by Max Lucado

This book has a great life lesson whether you are 1 or 100! It's about not letting what other people think of you effect how you see yourself and that if you remember that God is your creator and that He made you perfectly and if you spend time talking to Him each day the things that others say about you will just slip right off of you. Love it!

Book #20

2010-03-25T21:34:00.004-06:00

The Royal Tea Party by Sheila Walsh

Half way done!

This one is really cute. It's about a little girl who knows she is a princess because she is a daughter of God and she is SO excited because she is going to get to tell her best friend that she is a princess too. She wants the way she tells her to be perfect and everything falls apart but her friend sits at the window all day waiting to see what Gigi wants to tell her. Gigi realizes that her friend didn't leave her and neither does God and finally she tells her friend that she too is a princess and they both celebrate! It's cute. I think it's a whole series.

Book #19

2010-03-25T21:31:00.003-06:00

The Princess and the Three Kings by Karen Kingsbury

If I had a daughter I would read her this book. Well actually if I had a son I would read him this book too. It's about how women should expect a man that is loyal, kind, strong, and has a heart for God and it's about how men should be those things and always look out for the safety of the girl. It's predictable but very sweet.

Book #18

2010-03-25T21:27:00.001-06:00

The Legend of the Easter Egg by Lori Walburg

Ehhh. This book was okay. It might be a good way to talk with your kids about what Easter is all about. It's kinda hard to believe. His sister get's scarlet fever and he has to go away and when he does he finds Jesus and gets saved - not really something you expect with a 7 year old but you know. It's got a good message. I like that it breaks down what Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, Easter, etc. mean in the back.

Book #17

2010-03-25T21:21:00.003-06:00

Let Me Hold You Longer by Karen Kingsbury

I had some time to kill today so I went to the Family Christian store and sat down and read FIVE books! They were short books but hey - you people spoke and said that kid's books counted so here we go!

This book is super cute! It's about how parents always remember and record all the firsts in their kids lives but it's so hard to capture the lasts. You never know when the last time that your kid will color you a picture will be or the last time they'll want to come sleep in your bed at night. So it's about loving the kid and enjoying every experience with them so that you can treasure those moments when they are grown. It's a really sweet book.

Clearly...

2010-03-25T08:04:00.002-06:00

at this point I'm not going to make it to 40 unless I read a bunch of children's books. Is that cheating?

Book #16

2010-03-23T20:18:00.002-06:00

Isaac Newton by Kathleen Krull

Seriously interesting! This book is the biography of Isaac Newton who hated being bothered with eating and sleeping because it distracted from his research. I learned so much about this interesting character who was a giant on the shoulders of whom many, many other scientists stood. I also learned that Newton opened doors for women and children to learn about science. This book was really readable and I hope to read more in this Giants of Science biography series.