Be F.I.T. Crew: Defining "Healthy"

Check out my post over at the Be FIT Crew today!

Be F.I.T. Crew: Defining "Healthy": Healthy is a big word because it can mean such different things to different people. Some take an exercise approach to healthy - "I'm hea...

Catching Up from Christmas

Just sharing some pictures from Christmas in Cincinnati with my family...

She's A Cheerleader!

After months and months of practice, Teagan's cheer squad has their uniforms and is now doing performances at area schools during halftime.

It's adorable overload.  And also proud mama moments.

She's getting so grown up.

My Little Brother - University of Dayton

In early November, I packed my family into the car and drove 2 hours across Indiana and into Ohio to attend the last home game of the football season at the University of Dayton.

It was gray, cold, rainy, and even a little icy.  It was a miserable day to sit outside in a football stadium on cold metal benches.  It was a miserable day to be a football player, coach, cheerleader.

It was a miserable day to be in the marching band.

But it was my little brother's last home game and nothing was going to dampen his spirit or his Pride of Dayton (that's a little play on words because the marching band is called "Pride of Dayton.").

And a few random shots of Zach... time with Grandma, staying as bundled up as possible, and enjoying some hot chocolate!

Disney in September - Experience Conference

I lost my USB cable.  I haven't been able to pull pictures from my camera.  Finally remembered to really search for the cable, found one, and pulled lots of pictures from my camera.

And I was reminded of some really great times in the past few months.

I went to Disney World for the Experience Conference.  I stayed in the Contemporary with my good friend and pastor, Jennifer.  The conference is a worship leadership conference.  The conference was awesome, the sessions were awesome, the music was awesome, and being at Disney was awesome.

Lincoln Brewster

Vonda Dyer (vocal coach - learned SO MUCH!!!)

Jared Anderson

Christy Nockels

One of my favorite bands - The City Harmonic

Fun around Disney - Epcot

One of my favorite memories was waking up the first morning before the sun had come up.  Our room was right by the lake and a small bit of sand.  I went outside to pray and meditate and just soak in the glory of the world around me.

There was a lot that came from that trip.

I eventually came to realize that my focus in serving my church needs to be on Worship and Leadership.  I've been pushed in those directions in different ways in 2012 and am realizing that the discomfort of change and new roles and responsibilities has brought me to a place where I am eager to do God's work in my church.

I left Disney knowing that I had to bring my family for a vacation.  We are making that happen this year.

That morning that I sat outside and watched the sun rise and the ducks play and the birds fly... I was so deeply at peace.  I was so content.  And I have held on to the memory of that feeling.

2012 was a year of growth and change - and it was often very uncomfortable.  Looking back at these pictures is helping me to more clearly see the path that God was leading me on.  2013 is going to be the year that these lessons and changes apply to my life in a more real and tangible way.

Looking back at the sunset, the water, remembering the beach... I'm reminded of peace and contentment.  And that's where my heart needs to remain.

See's Candies: Worth Cheating For!

You know you're watching what you eat and you are being careful about the foods you choose?  Making healthy choices, losing weight, training for an athletic event... for whatever reason that you're being healthy, let's say you'v ebeen at it for a good while and you're wanting to treat yourself.

You know what happens - you decide on what your treat should be.  Let's say a hamburger.  So you go and order a burger.  It arrives.  You're totally ready for that juicy beef... and it's dry or overcooked or unseasoned.  You end up disappointed.  You "cheated" on your diet, you stepped away from the healthiest choices for an indulgence and it wasn't what you expected.

So let's say you want to indulge with some chocolate.  You start thinking about your favorites... maybe you think it would be worth it to hit the vending machine and get your favorite candy bar.  Or maybe hit the drug store for a box of your favorite chocolates.

And you end up disappointed.  It doesn't really satisfy because you end up with a piece of chocolate that's loaded with preservatives or high fructose corn syrup or cheap chocolate and it tastes like cheap chocolate.

You wasted your indulgence.

Unless you pick See's Candies.

Jeff and I were invited to a special grand opening celebration for the See's Candies in Keystone.  Not only did we get to enjoy samples galore, we also got to learn a lot about See's and how they do business, and maybe even have some fun packing our own boxes of chocolates I-Love-Lucy-style!

See's Candies was the inspiration for the famouse I Love Lucy episode where Lucy and Ethel work in the chocolate factory.  So we each got the chance to compete to pack a small box of chocolates as fast as we could - I tied for first in my group!

Jeff did awesome but that guy next to him had a private See's coach so he had a totally unfair advantage to take the win.  

And a slight sidebar - it totally made my night when I got to meet Lisa.  She stopped me to let me know how much she enjoys my blog and the stories I share.  I was really touched by what she had to say!

See's is the kind of company you like to support.  It was started in 1921 and has a rich family history.  So if you're going to cheat on your diet or indulge in a special treat, make sure you're doing so with great ingredients, high quality, and incredible taste!