Outside!

Being raised somewhat of a country girl, I love being outside.  I was a part of the "outside" generation - we didn't play video games or watch cable TV.  We came home from school, chucked our book bags inside the door, and ran back outside to play kickball or football or capture the flag with the neighbor kids.  We were often sunburned, barefoot, sweaty, and happy.  I was always an outside girl.

The other night we spent a wonderful evening with friends at their new house.  Their backyard has the most amazing view - the sunset, woods, deer, hawks, and a little pond.  The kids jumped rope, threw rocks in the pond, looked for arrowheads, and then a cut throat game of freeze tag broke out.  Not to be outdone, my "outside girl" friend LaDona and I joined in the game when her husband Mr Harold became a terrifying force to be reckoned with for the children.

It was one of those amazing evenings when you end up tired, dirty, and with a stomachache from laughing.  I came home that night thankful for good friends, healthy children, laughter, and the joy of being outside.

Today I Am Thankful For...

Random Thoughts

Wow.  I have been so out of the blogging groove it almost isn't funny!  I took a break during spring break, and then it just felt kind of good to let things just sit...both in my mind and on my blog.  I know it annoys me when people don't update their blogs (sorry, Kathy Wheeler!), but it felt too forced when I would sit for a few minutes and stare at a blank page here.  But I am back, and to ease back into the blogging habit, I'm throwing out one of my random thoughts posts.

Routine is good. I am either getting older or more organized (sadly, older may be our best bet...) but after a completely wonderful spring break, I desperately craved our routine.  It makes me laugh to look back at who I was and how I operated even ten years ago.  Routine drove me crazy.  I was a very spontaneous, spunky, fly by the seat of my pants kind of girl ("you know, moment to moment.  That's me.  Um-hmm.  You know, you could pay me.  That's one way to kind of break the ice."). Sorry.  Flashback to college and the Pretty Woman quoting we did there. I'm back now.  

I don't know if it was having children, learning to manage a home, or two years of being exhausted, but I adore our "normal" life.  The every day things delight me, and while I can handle a curve ball now and again with ease, I actually enjoy having some idea of what may be coming next.  Mark and I have a great daily routine established with the boys, and we have a fun, but not too hectic weekly routine (Wii Wednesdays, tennis Thursdays, and church Sundays).  I am finding that while I like spring break as much as the next person, there seem to be more moments to be had in the routine of life.  Real moments to laugh or talk or serve or play.  Routine is good.

So here's the scoop on my health.  For those of you who have followed the saga of the detox, I had my follow up appointment yesterday with Dr. Holistic.  While the detox diet was brutal (I mean physically, emotionally, and spiritually brutal), the results have been close to unbelievable.  My energy level is better than it has been in years and I have been able to sustain it for about three weeks.  I'll be honest - I thought the detoxing was a little overboard for me - I didn't for a minute think I was terribly toxic (insert "She's so not self-aware" laugh here).  But those 28 days really rocked my world.  

Dr. Holistic reviewed some test results with me that were pretty surprising as well.  I am deficient in some pretty important vitamins (C, B12, B6, and very deficient in D), and my hormones are definitely not right.  (Low progesterone and very low testosterone.)  So we are spending the next six weeks trying to pump me full of what I need while slowly adding foods back into my diet to see what I may have a reaction to.  Last night I had an egg, and I swear to you - it tasted like chocolate covered gold!  

I wasn't a big believer in the toxins/refined sugars/raw eating genres, but what I have seen and experienced has been truly shocking.  I am encouraged (yesterday was one of the few times I left a dr's office encouraged, and the only time I left with a plan to help me feel better), and I am excited about what the future may be like for me health wise.  I can't tell you how good that feels!

My heart is heavy.  Over the last few days, I have been really burdened for people who are hurting.  I know cognitively that bad things happen, but my heart is so heavy right now for all the pain and sorrow I can see from my little corner of the world.  I don't know if it feels so shocking because I can finally focus on others after 28 days of being so focused on me, or if this is just a season of hurt for some reason.  I was almost physically uncomfortable yesterday as I thought about the situations that are grieving people I love.  I'll be praying.  Even though you may not know the situations, I'd love it if you'd pray too.  

Living passionately = "Where did my comfort zone go?"  Our church is doing a challenging series called "One Month to Live".  This week's message was about living passionately.  Whew.  I really encourage you to take a few minutes and watch the message online (www.longhollow.com).  Mark and I are heading outside our comfort zone this summer (waaaay outside), and while I have moments of complete "Holy crap!" terror when I think about it, it was a real kick in the proverbial pants to hear this message.

To my sweet Yankee friends: Do not be alarmed by the pastor.  He is a good man who just happens to have an accent and a quirky sense of humor.  Yes.  He is from small town TN.  Yes.  He gets the church to say "Amen".  Yep.  I realize he may not be the suit and tie kind of preacher you picture down here.  But wow - God uses him!  Be entertained by the "southern-ness" and be fed by the Word!  :)

The most life changing rhetorical question in history:

     "Why do you look for the living among the dead?"

I was struck this Easter by how profound and amazing this one line is.  God is so cool!

OK.  That's all I got.  And good for you if you read all this!  Hopefully I will be back to regular blogging soon!

Really. I Do Exist.

I haven't been updating my blog for the last few weeks.  We were on spring break, and I took the term "break" to heart!  We relaxed, vacationed, played, and laughed.  It was wonderful!  Of course, I am ready to get back in the groove.  I am too much of a routine girl to like taking a break for too long.

The quick update is that all is well.  I have been doing OK on my detox diet.  As a matter of fact, I am officially "done" with the detox.  It has been a LONG 28 days, but the results have been really encouraging.  I definitely have more energy - by far - but boy, do I miss certain foods!  I would love to have eggs, maybe some cheese.  I will go gluten free gladly, just throw mama some read meat once in a while!  We shall see what the next step is for me.  I see Dr. Holistic again next week.

I have had lots of ideas for blog posts floating in my head over the last few weeks, but I am still trying to dig out from the "vacation" mess that has erupted in our home, so a longer post will have to wait for another day.  I just wanted to let everyone know...I do still exist!

Book For Thought - Sabbath Keeping

Several months ago, I became intrigued with the concept of keeping sabbath.  I wasn't really sure what that meant, I wasn't sure exactly what the biblical roots of sabbath were (besides the "on the seventh day God rested" part - that I got!), and I wasn't sure if keeping sabbath was something that as a "freed from the Law" Gentile believer should even be considering.  I had stumbled across the idea awhile ago as I was blog hopping, I researched some books on Amazon about the sabbath, but I didn't look much deeper until a few days ago when one of those sabbath books arrived in the mail.  

This book has been very thought provoking.  It's called "Sabbath Keeping" by Lynne M. Baab.  I am only on the third chapter, but I have already been challenged to rethink my view that there is no longer any need for God's people to observe a sabbath.  I am not sure where I will land on this idea of keeping sabbath, but I wanted to share some quotes I have read so far that have stirred my heart and mind.

The author writes:

The sabbath has been a great gift to me by slowing me down and inviting me to experience God's rest - not just analyzing it.  Jesus said to His disciples, "Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls". (Mt. 11:28-29)  I have received that gift of rest because of the sabbath.  The sabbath has also enabled me to learn from Jesus, to take his gentle yoke on my shoulders rather than live in response to the world's demands and my own unhealthy desires.  (page 10)

The sabbath teaches us grace because it connects us experientially to the basic truth that nothing we do will earn God's love.  As long as we are working hard, using our gifts to serve others, experiencing joy in our work along with the toil, we are always in danger of believing that our actions trigger God's love for us.  Only in stopping, really stopping, do we teach our hearts and souls that we are loved apart from what we do.   (pages 17-18)

The fast pace of our world encourages us to forget that relationships take time.  Friendship is a slow art, whether it's with God, family members or other people. The sabbath can give us precious and much need time to grow in friendship, to have leisurely conversations that help us go deeper with people we love and with God.  Loving and being loved bring grace into our lives.  (pages 19-20)

I understand now that observing a sabbath enables us to encounter a significant yet paradoxical truth about God.  C.S. Lewis expresses this paradox in his space novel "Perelandra", where one of the angels says that we humans are both infinitely necessary and infinitely superfluous in God's eyes.  (page 27)  (Loved this thought!)

Ultimately, Carl says [Carl is a man who practices sabbath keeping], the sabbath keeps him from being dehumanized.  We are human beings and yet we live as if we were "human doings".  We move through our days as if what we do mattered more than who we are.  The sabbath is an opportunity to reclaim our heritage as children of God, created by God to live in grace.  (page 35)

I have been intrigued by the idea of keeping sabbath, and as I read this book I am more and more intrigued about the benefits of just stopping.  It seems like so much in the "Christian culture" is about doing and going and serving - and while I agree that those things are all good and vital to spiritual health, I have to wonder why we value those disciplines more than being still and being in deeper relationship with God and others.  

Like I said, I am only on chapter three, but I have been so challenged by this book that I had to share it.  I encourage you to get on Amazon and order a copy for yourself.  I would also love to know what others think about the idea of a sabbath.  What would that look like to you?  Does it feel possible in your life right now?  What do you think the benefits/sacrifices of keeping sabbath might be? 

I Have Met the Enemy...

...and the enemy is called "evaporated cane juice syrup".

Been detoxing now for several weeks, and overall I am feeling so much better it's nearly spooky.  I find myself actually looking forward to eating fresh fruits and vegetables, and I must say, I make a mean organic chicken salad.  But the other night as I passed The Cheesecake Factory on my way to Whole Foods (subliminal sabotage), I experienced a deep desire to have some gourmet cheesecake.

That desire is so over.

While at Whole Foods I did the best I could to read labels and consult my "can/can't eat" list in an attempt to find some new things to eat, but apparently I let something slip through the cracks.  I have been completely off sugar since I stated this detox on March 14, and once I got through the withdrawal symptoms (Yes!  Withdrawal!  From sugar - can you believe that???) I have stayed far, far away from it.  

Until I put something in my cart at Whole Foods that contains "evaporated cane juice syrup".  Now I realize had I thought this through, I might have realized there was some danger lurking in the rice cakes and granola cereal.  But it didn't dawn on me until I ate a bowl of the cereal this morning, and promptly felt horribly, horribly ill.  We're talking sick.  I instantly began checking labels and chugging water, and came to the conclusion that evaporated cane juice syrup is definitely a "can't eat" ingredient.  I was shaky, nauseous, tearful, and angry, combined with some blurry vision, headache, and numbness in my face and fingers.  My body was very clearly letting me know that we no longer operate on that crap!  After many, many glasses of filtered water, lots of veggies, and a nearly three hour nap - I am finally starting to recover.

You know that cheesecake I really wanted the other night?  I wouldn't eat all that sugar now if you paid me!  It is amazing and horrifying all at the same time to think that I operated every day on sugar, and the toll that was taking on my body.  

Talk about being scared straight.  I've been sugar scared straight.

Oh, The Irony!

One of the tests Dr Holistic has me doing is a hormone test.  (Can you all hear my husband in the background yelling, "Testify!  Can I get an amen?!")  To do this particular, highly sensitive hormone test, I have to fill four tubes with saliva at four different times throughout the day today.

Sounds easy, right?  Not so much.  The tubes are three inches tall or so, and I have to fill them 1/2 full.  An inch and a half of spit, you say?  No problem.  Go ahead.  Give it a try.  Try to gather an inch and a half of spit (minus the bubbles - the bubbles don't count).  It is a challenge!

The test kit gives you some good tips for helping get "quality spit" for the test.  Yawn, chew wax paper, and the one that helped me this morning - sniff a lemon.  Well, apparently the lemon has lost its "saliva producing" abilities, because for the noon sample, it wasn't working.  I still had dry mouth.

But, alas - I found a solution that borders on the cruel and unusual.

When I sniff Calvin's Chick-fil-a fries, my mouth instantly waters.

Oh, the irony.