As you might know, this blog post is well overdue & I'm sorry about that! I've been busy...haha, just kidding. I have been busy job searching, playing on Pinterest, Facebook stalking people, Tweeting, Instagraming...and trying not to shop. But, things need to change...I'm not made for this sedentary life & I'm determined to find something to fix that.
I've already started, I recommitted to Weight Watchers after seeing my friend Suzi Storm in the new Weight Watchers "Believe" commercial on NYE. (See her awesome blog here: "OK, just one more beer"). I had already decided I needed to go back to the "dub-dub" because I'd lost most of the weight I had gained at the end of tour, but still had a few pounds to go. I also have a lingering "goal weight" I wanted to get to...and I BELIEVE 2012 is the year! I'm approaching it a bit different this time though, it's always been about my health and being comfortable, not my appearance and being vain...but I want to be that "Suzi Storm" in someone's life! I would love to set an example for women (and men) that are overweight, unhealthy or unhappy with themselves...because I know personally how awesome it is to get to that point where you feel the change & let me tell you, it's a great feeling! So, I'm on my second week tracking food & working out more regularly & I'm feeling good! (Shout out to Bethany, Jess, Natalie, Melissa & Lindsy who are other women that have inspired me in health & fitness!)
Secondly, I want to volunteer! While listening to a sermon from Christ's Church of the Valley church, on Joseph's life...where from the beginning he had the world against him but never got discouraged, and even found ways to encourage other people, that's when I knew I had to step up. See, if you don't know the story, Joseph was hated by his brothers because he was his father's favorite and basically they deceived him & had him sold as a slave, so he went from "spoiled" to "slave" in the matter of minutes. Joseph was eventually sold to a man of high esteem and through dedicated work, he became the man's "personal assistant." (Right there shows you that he accepted his role as a slave & didn't complain, but did the best job he could!) Then, he ran into a bit of a problem, because the man's wife soon took interest in Joseph, and even though he resisted the temptation of this women she became angry at him for denying her & lied, saying he came onto her & was then thrown in prison. While in prison, he made friends with the warden (another admirable thing for him to do) and was put in charge of other prisoners. This is where the sermon came in...basically the Pharaoh's chief cup bearer & chief baker had been put in prison, they were upset about dreams they had had & with God's help Joseph helped them interpret their them, letting them know the cup bearer was to be restored to his position and the baker was to die. Now, he could have ignored the men completely, but he didn't...he paid attention to them and tried to help them to the best of his abilities, he even told them the complete truth when he could have very easily given the baker a backwards answer & let him be surprised by his death. He was an honest man and he was full of integrity, he also wanted out of the prison so he told the chief cup bearer to mention his name to Pharaoh when he was reappointed, but when this happened, the cup bearer "forgot about him." Joseph stayed in the prison for two more years before the Pharaoh thought of him again...and I won't spoil the ending of it for you, but feel free to read Genesis 41 for how the rest of the story goes! (Bible)
From this, I have taken that even when "bad" events happen in our lives, don't be discouraged and perhaps, the best way to beat discouragement is to encourage someone else! I had been putting off finding a volunteer opportunity because I wasn't sure if I'd be staying in this location or if I'd be moving for a job, but after this message I have realized I should volunteer and help someone else in need instead of risking discouragement that I hadn't found a job yet! And here's a quote from the sermon that I LOVE:
"Every failure contains the seeds of your next success" - Paul Allen
Lastly, I'd like to take a break from the "social media scene" a bit. I've come to realize that I broadcast nearly every second of my life between Facebook, Twitter, Instagram & my blog and while I don't necessarily find anything wrong with that, I know I could be using my time and energy for better things. I'm not going all "cold turkey" and deleting all my accounts and going back to a basic phone or anything, but I am going to make a constant effort to engage myself in personal relationships and invest time in things that are meaningful and useful. For example, I'm going to try & write hand written letters, notes and birthday cards to friends instead of writing on their wall, I'm going to actually go out & buy the supplies to make something I re-pin on Pinterest and I'm going to print my favorite photos and make photo albums! My life has become very virtual and I want to see it become more real, I want to feel life, not just see it on a screen!
It's also my goal to update my blog more often, but have a better structure and subject matter rather than the occasional "life update"...we'll see if I can pull it off!
Hope all is well with my readers, until next time...muah!
