No pain, no gain....what!?

So I've continued with my running and things are going great. I've worked up to running just about 4 miles in about 53 minutes. This has been quite an accomplishment for me especially since I've just been running for almost a month. I'm excited to be running the Superbowl 10K with Rich on Superbowl Sunday which is in just about 10 days. Today I ran the furthest which was 3.91 miles. It felt great when I got home, but now I'm feeling the pain. My knees are killing me everytime I get up to walk around. But what's that phrase....no pain, no gain. How true. It applies to every aspect of our lives.

So many around me are going through painful times. My sister comes to mind. She gave birth in November at 31 weeks. Pregnant with twins, mid-term lost one baby, a little girl, and then just a few short weeks delivered the other twin. A beautiful & precious baby boy. Things seemed well considering his situation but then the unthinkable happened. Complications with a feeding pump caused him to aspirate his food and his glucose levels were off the charts. Thankfully after being transferred to a better hospital he recovered and is now home where he belongs. But, the events of his birth and the loss of the baby girl for my sister are still fresh and painful.

My mind also reminds me of a gentlemen at church with whom I sing worship who has just been diagnosed with cancer. We are all believing and standing in the gap for his healing. But, we are human and the pain that is felt with that diagnosis is so overwhelming.

We always wonder 'why' in moments of pain. I think 'hey, I'm getting fit, I'm taking care of myself....I don't want to be slowed down by this knee pain'. My sister & the gentlemen at church are true servants of Christ. Lives surrended to Him. But what is it all for....no pain, no gain???? What are we gaining by pain & suffering?

Character.....perseverance....faith.....hope....confidence in Christ.....knowing His healing power.....freedom.....total reliance on Jesus Christ

Makes me wonder what kind of people would we be without pain. It's hard to get up and face the day when you're hurting, especially when the pain is still there. But that's where His strength comes in. I know that everyday that I've been running and increasing my distances that I haven't been able to do it on my own. When I begin to run I truly ask God for strength to complete my goal, and you know what? He shows up! I never thought I could do this 2 months ago, but look at me now. My sister never thought she would walk down the road she's on right now. But I know that it is for a purpose & God is going to use her in mighty ways. I'm sure the gentlemen at church never thought he would have the fight that is ahead of him, but he knows and we know that God is in control and will bestow strength to face the days ahead.

Maybe this doesn't make much sense....just some thoughts I'm having.

The Doughnut

Who invented these sweet delicious addicting evil things????? I never buy them but of course with all three kids in the grocery store they convinced me to buy a couple boxes for breakfast in the morning. I thought to myself...'why not, we're going to the snow in the morning, it's going to be a fun day, why not start it off with doughnuts for a change.' So we bought the doughnuts. I thought for sure I would have the will power to avoid the stupid little tasty treats but I failed! 4 itty bitty doughnut holes have 270 calories! I gave in...but I only ate the 4 instead of 8! So, much to the kids' dismay, when they eat those delectable breakfast treats in the morning it could very well be their last for a long time!

I ran 2.8 miles in 40 minutes today! Yay for me! I am proud and hoping that the rain won't be in my way next week as I continue to prepare for the 10k.

By the way....the sinful delights did taste pretty scrumptuous :)

The Race Is On!

I did it! After much contemplation over the last couple days I signed up for the Inagural Superbowl Sunday 10k Run at Cal-State Sacramento. Rich has been spearheading this run at work and has gotten a lot of co-workers to participate. So I was feeling like maybe I should try it but wasn't confident enough. Plus I don't know a lot of the people who are running with Rich and didn't want to be running by myself. Thankfully I talked Jada into becoming my partner in crime for this, soooooo we are doing it!

Running has been a challenge for me but it has been fun to get up every morning and just get out there and do it. I've been following a plan I found online and just walking a minute, running a minute for about 15 min. This week I increased the interval to walk a minute, run 2 min. But today I wanted to challenge myself, so I ran for a solid 5 min, walked 1 minute, ran 5 more min, walked for about 1.30 min & then ran for another 3 min. I'm going to continue pushing myself and by this time next week I would like to be able to run a mile without stopping. I have to seriously pray as I'm running though for God to give me strength to endure. I believe He will help me meet this goal.

Check back soon as I update my progress!

Amelia is 5!

5 years! Where have they gone?? I can't beleive that our precious baby girl is 5 years old today. I can remember just about everything about that day.....

My mom & sister flew in from Indianapolis the night before. I was so excited to have them here with us. I was a scheduled c-section so we had to be at the hospital at 7am. We all woke up early and began getting ready. I remember feeling excited & anxious. I couldn't wait to meet Amelia but I was nervous about the surgery...been there twice before so I knew what to expect. I remember getting ready that morning and looking down at my pregnant belly thinking that that this would be the last day my body carried a child and grew to be as big as it was.

We left the house & headed to the hospital. We got all checked in & settled into the prep room to get ready for surgery.

All of the family began arriving along with Noah & Jackson. Mom & Dad Black, Mom Tharp, Sarah, David, Danette, Lydia, Abigail, & Calvin, Ryan, Ray Dufalt, Jane West, & Lori Perron were all there.

When Jackson arrived I became so emotional because he was such a baby himself. He was only 14 months. Everytime I looked at him & held him I would just cry. I finally pulled it together & it was time to walk into the operating room & get ready for Amelia's debut.

I became extremely anxious on the delivery table and so they let Rich come in a little early so that he could help me stay calm. I suppose I was just nervous about being cut open and hoping that nothing went wrong. Rich was so great. I'm so thankful to be married to him. He knows exactly what to do to help me be calm. The doctor offered to let me just sleep through the surgery but he said "no" & just helped me through the delivery.

The doctor was kind enough to also let my mom come into the delivery room and watch Amelia be born.

The surgery began around 12:00pm or so. I remember feeling a lot of tugging & pulling and finally I heard them say 'here she comes', they pulled her out and I felt like an elephant had been lifted off of me...wierd feeling. Amelia was born around 12:30pm....I heard her first cry & began to cry myself. Then I asked the doctor if it was really a girl and she said 'yes Misty, it's really a girl'.

It was such a beautiful day. We were so blessed to welcome Amelia into our family. I can't imagine our life without her. I couldn't wait to get her home & dress her and be her mommy for the rest of her life.

Today she is a vibrant 5 year old princess. She is beautiful on the inside & out. She spends her days playing dress-up, house, & singing to the top of her lungs.

Thank you God for blessing me with Amelia! Thank you for making me her Mommy and allowing me to share her life and be blessed by her everyday! I pray that she will be used for Your glory & make a difference in our world.

Rules to Live By...

I recieved this in an email recently and I found it very true & inspiring...enjoy!

Health:
1. Drink plenty of water.
2. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar.
3. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.. 4. Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm and Empathy
5. Make time to pray.
6. Play more games
7. Read more books than you did in 2009 .
8. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day
9. Sleep for 7 hours.
10. Take a 10-30 minute walk daily. And while you walk, smile.

Personality:
11. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
12. Don't have negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.
13. Don't over do. Keep your limits.
14. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
15. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip.
16. Dream more while you are awake
17. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need..
18. Forget issues of the past. Don't remind your partner with His/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.
19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don't hate others.
20. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.
21. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
22. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
23. Smile and laugh more.
24. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree...

Society:
25. Call your family often.
26. Each day give something good to others.
27. Forgive everyone for everything..
28.. Spend time w/ people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6.
29. Try to make at least three people smile each day.
30. What other people think of you is none of your business.
31. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.

Life:
32. Do the right thing!
33. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
34. GOD heals everything.
35. However good or bad a situation is, it will change...
36. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
37. The best is yet to come..
38. When you awake alive in the morning, thank GOD for it.
39. Your Inner most is always happy. So, be happy.

Here I Am....

The fire is on, kids are in bed, the latest CSI episode is in the background & I'm in my nightly routine. I spend a little too much time in the evening surfing the web & on facebook, so I thought I should make better use of my time and at least try out one of these blogs. It seems everyone is doing it, whether it's to document daily life, new goals, or just to keep memories. What do I want out of this blog? I tend to just get ideas from others and not tap into my own creativity. So, here it is...my goal is to....???? Still figuring it out. But, sure, why not.... keep track of my goals, document my daily life, and set new challenges. So here it goes...

2010 has just arrived! We had a fun party welcoming in the new year with friends & family. The kids were dancing & yelling "2010" as the countdown began & the ball dropped. Around 12:05 am I announced that I would give $20 to the 1st kid who jumped in the pool, then Aunt Jada said she would throw in a $20! $40 to jump into a freezing pool, is it worth it?? Well, Noah jumped in around 12:10 am once he mustered up enough courage to dive into the freezing water! Unlce Ryan inspired him though since he jumped in minutes before! What a fun-filled night!

So with the arrival of the new year many of us evaluate our life & set new goals or resolutions. Unfortunately I'm not the greatest at meeting my goals or keeping my resolutions. With that said, I'm surprisingly inspired this new year to break the cycle. Let's start with physical fitness...

1. I've been at my current weight for 4 years now....I'm never happy with the way I look & CONSTANTLY compare myself to others. I am not and nor will I ever be like the people in my life. So, I have to accept that, after all the Bible says that we are not to compare ourselves & that we have all been given unique strengths & gifts. So I will be searching for my "uniqueness".

So, one thing I am doing that is totally out of my comfort zone is learning to run...yes 'learning to run'. My husband can just decide that he is going to go run 4 miles & he does it! He has even signed up for a 6 k run and a mini-marathon in Feb & March. I'm actually jealous! I have always said that I can't run.....I suppose Phil 4:13 didn't apply to running in my mind! But for some reason I believe I can run now. So today, I started my running program. For 10 weeks I will be runnng every morning and eventually be able to run for 45 min. How awesome is that!?! My goal is to run with Rich in Feb & Mar 2011 in the same races he will be running this year. Who knows maybe there will be a race I can participate in by the fall. I'm also working out at Curves every morning for 30 min. When you really push yourself it's a great workout! Thanks to my great friend Amy, I have accountability & encouragement everytime I walk through the doors!

Now moving on...Finances...uggghhh!

2. It is so easy to get into debt!!!!! Unfortuanetlly we all know how difficult it is to get out! So today, we laid it all out & are making a plan. Dave Ramsey would be so proud. I'm such an instant gratification person, so snowballing this debt will take time & I will have to learn to be patient & persevere.

Last but not least...motherhood

3. What can I say? Being a mother is the hardest job I've had so far. Don't get me wrong, I love it & wouldn't trade it for anything. But the consistency part & challenges that come is at time EXTREMELY overwhelming. I try everyday to be the best I can be and when I lay my head down to go to sleep I feel like a complete failure in every way. I homeschool (4th grader, Kindergartner, & Preschooler) but most days I wonder why in the world God called me down this path. Thankfully I have so much support from my mom-in-law, sis-in-law & hubby. I couldn't do it without them. Seriously! I am not creative, I'm impatient, I can't wait till the goals are met, and the kids are done for the day. Now, I have to be honest....Mom-in-law comes over everyday and works with Noah & Jack so she is doing the hard part. But I know she can't do it forever and soon I will have to step up and take over but I'm going to be dramatic here and say that the thought paralyzes me with fear! But that's where 2 Tim 1:7 comes in....God hasn't given me the spirit of fear but of LOVE, POWER, & a SOUND MIND! So, trust the Lord with this Misty! He is my strength & when I am weak (and I am so weak in this area) He is strong! Halleluer! (Madea)

My last thought and goal on motherhood is this....be consistent Misty! We are implementing a strict bedtime as well as cracking down on some behaviors we have gotten lazy on. My kids are probably wondering what is going on but it's for their good! There is safety in discipline.

So here I am....laying it all out here. Praying & believing for a successful 2010 in so many ways.

Until next time....

Oh yeah....I plan on having a blast figuring all of this out!