A Great Message

I got up pretty early this morning, especially for a Sunday (7:30am) and went to the 9:30 church service at Fellowship for a change. Boy, am I glad I got there early, it was PACKED! There were people sitting on the floor in the aisles and standing along the walls it was so full. For good reason, I found out. The speaker, Greg Smalley, Psy.D. did a FANTASTIC job! I guess he's written some books on marriage and the series he continued on today was "Growing a Healthy Marriage - Speaking Life into your Mate". Today's message was not only for people who are married, but it could also be used in any relationship in life.

Words are so powerful. I think I really learned that message in 2008. Even if you don't mean to hurt someone, just the simplest thing can have a negative affect. Words have the power to build up or tear down.

"Out of the same mouth comes praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be." (James 3:10)

"The tongue has the power of life or death." (Proverbs 18:21)

Greg taught us to see our spouse or loved one as Jesus sees them. This is very hard to do, especially if you're angry with them. But difficult as it may be, we must look past our anger and frustration and see in them what God sees through His loving eyes. The Lord looks at our heart.

He also talked about some words of affirmation that everyone should use to "speak life into your mate".

1. Words of Gratitude - Gratitude is thankful recognition by saying "thank you" for something specific that you appreciated that he/she did. (1 Thessalonians 5:18)
2. Words of Praise - "Words from a wise man's mouth are gracious..." (Ecclesiastes 10:12)
3. Words of Appreciation - Noticing what you VALUE about your spouse (Romans 12:10) The more you 'apreciate' something, the more valuable it becomes to you. Make an Honor List, listing all the ways you appreciate your spouse.
4. Words of Encouragement - The word "en-courage" meant "to make couragious" (Mark 1:11) Give extra energy and courage, release their potential.
5. Words of Validation - "Quick to listen, slow to speak..." (James 1:19) Care and be curious.
6. Words of Protection - Speak kindly of your spouse in front of others when he or she is present or not present. (Ephesians 4:29) Never gossip or dishonor.
7. Words of Blessing - The word "blessing" means to confirm its truth and to strengthen it. (Matthew 16:18) Call out something positive that you see they are interested in.

These issues we can all work on in our relationships and I know I will be keeping them in mind! =)

Finally, The Week is Almost Over!

Ugh, what a week. Work has been crazy and I've been dieting, not a fun combination! The diet is actually going really well, I've already lost 8 pounds! =) However, I'm not counting 5 of those because they were soley from holiday weight gain. So technically I've lost 3 from my average winter time weight =)

Tomorrow morning I'm going to Mica's Boot Camp for the first time!

I'm so excited, she's an awesome trainer and we always have fun. She knows I like to be pushed to the limit and takes me up on that every workout! I trained with her at the beginning of Spring last year to get ready for our Destin, Florida trip. I wrote down all the workouts as soon as I got home and make them into cute little pink notecards that I can take to the gym with me when I'm wanting to get a little more out of my normal workout.

The workouts are usually circuit/interval style combining weights, cardio, drills, and pylometrics, things like that. I love it because she always throws in something different. It definitely makes the time fly by quickly!

I got an e-mail back from my professor yesterday after turning in my first two papers for my class. She seems really really nice and I'm excited to meet her. I've got a lot to do this weekend with the reading assignments, like I said, they keep getting longer and longer! I've gotten a lot done this week though, just have a little more to catch up on. It's supposed to be pretty cold tomorrow so maybe after I get back from Boot Camp I should just shower and head to the library? Yeah, we'll see if that happens =)

The new movie Bride Wars comes out today! I think a Girl's Night Out at the movies is in order very soon for Tara and Hillary and I! I LOVE LOVE LOVE Kate Hudson and Anne Hathaway!

Not sure what Jeff and I will do this weekend. Maybe see a movie or something, who knows. Can you tell I like to hibernate in the winter? =)

Happy Thursday!

Well, my kitty cat Millie finally got fixed! She was soooo groggy last night, it was cute. I wrapped her up in her favorite blanket and she slept in it on the couch until 9:00 when I finally put her in her room so I could go to sleep. Poor thing =( And Vincent just can't figure out what is going on! Usually she's chasing him all around the house and playing with her toys but now she just sleeps! He was trying to sniff her a little too much last night, I finally had to make him stop. Ahh, the wonderful world of pets!

So I guess there's some kind of National Championship game on tonight? Hehe, Jeff reminded me to watch it yesterday and I had to let him know that there is ALSO a brand spankin' new episode of Grey's Anatomy on tonight too! It's been weeks since we've seen a new one so I may just have to flip back and forth for a while =)

Jeff and I are starting to plan our February. Isn't that great? He's actually planning something a month ahead?! I guess I'm rubbing off on him =) He asked me when I wanted to celebrate my birthday, but I wasn't sure what he meant since my birthday is on a Tuesday this year so I didn't expect to do much. We're also planning a weekend trip to the horse races at Oaklawn in Hot Springs for that month. We're going to try to get a bunch of people together to go down and we'll have a really cool box to sit in. I love the horse races, they're so much fun! And since I had cheerleading competitions to coach at last year, I didn't get to go with Jeff at all. So I'm long overdue! We're actually trying to plan a trip in February with friends and then another trip sometime after that when we'll stay with his boss at their lake house that's pretty close to Hot Springs. So I have lots of fun events to look forward to in the near future!

Hot Springs is a neat little place to visit, there are all kinds of old bath houses and restaurants, and of course...hot springs...

This is the Arlington Hotel...a.k.a. the hotel that serves THE BEST brunch you have EVER had in your life! It's expensive but sooo worth it =)

I've got BodyCombat tonight, then BodyPump tomorrow morning. The diet is going really well, I haven't been very hungry at all yet which is great. I think it gets easier everytime I do it because I know what to expect and I know how to curb my cravings and hunger more now (lemon in hot tea, sugar free gum, and chewing ice!). Saturday morning is Boot Camp with Mica starting at 7:30am! I'm excited, I think it will be a lot of fun, more to come on that tomorrow. Have a great day!

Must...Work...Out!

I hate taking more than a day off of working out, it makes me feel sooo lazy! I'm going to BodyAttack tonight to make up for this morning. But seriously, my calves just now started feeling like they're going back to normal today. I could barely walk yesterday. And I'm wearing FLATS today...FLATS PEOPLE! Can you believe it?!

Ok so I've written the first 2 papers due in my first graduate school class and I'm working on the 2nd week's reading assignments and they just keep getting longer and longer and longer. I think the first week's were just a teaser to break us in. I've been trying to read and outline today but I can't focus! Probably cuz I haven't worked out! Der

Dad and Jeff are going to the basketball game tonight, we're playing Texas and I've heard of soooo many people that are going! I wanted to go at first, then I realized that since it's a televised game, it won't be over till 10 or 10:30 then with traffic you don't get home till about 11. So as a person who get's up at 5am to go work out, it just wasn't an ideal thing to do tonight =( I guess I'll just have to stay home and watch reality tv! Hee hee! Tonight is Real Housewives of Orange County...love. I told Jeff I watch it because I like to see what they wear and how they fix their hair. He didn't believe me and he make me promise to watch Meet the Press the next day.
Gretchen's hair is the prettiest on the show, I wish my hair would do this...

Speaking of reality tv (Jeff is probably gagging as he reads this, or closing the browser all together) did anybody see The Bachelor last night?! It looks to be VERY dramatic this season for sure. And what's up with that Deanna chick from the bachelorette who BROKE HIS HEART coming back to cause trouble? Not cool.
Personally, I'm rooting for Melissa because I've watched her on the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders show and she seems really sweet and funny.Sorry this entire post has been about reality tv, I don't feel like thinking today. Probably because of watching too much reality tv...it's a vicious cycle...

Pondering 2008...Quiz Style

What did you do in 2008 that you’d never done before?
I bought a house, I got into Graduate school, and I went to my first Bowl game!

Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
Most of them yes, of course I’ll make more! I love lists =)

What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?
TiVo

What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Getting my new job and getting into Graduate School

What was your biggest failure?
I didn’t run all the 5K’s I had planned =(

What was the best thing you bought?
My House!

Where did most of your money go?
House Payments

What song will always remind you of 2008?
A lot of Pink songs….and that “Shake” song

Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? HAPPIER!
b) thinner or fatter? THINNER!
c) richer or poorer? RICHER!
**Sweet, I’m 3 for 3!!

What do you wish you’d done more of?
More time spent with friends and family.

How did you spend the holidays?
With Mom & Dad & Penny…then I came back to work =(

Did you fall in love in 2008?
I’ve been in love since 2007! =)

What was your favorite TV program?
Real Housewives of Orange County…this hurts Jeff to read, lol

What was your favorite film of this year?
The Sex & the City Movie! (We waited so long!)

What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
Went to P.F. Changs with Mom, Dad, and Jeff…then I went to coach my cheerleading team practice…then I went home to watch Desperate Housewives and went to sleep. This is what happens when you have a birthday on a Sunday =*(

What kept you sane?
My Dad, my mom, and Jeff (as usual!) Also, working out and eating healthy. Listing my goals and working towards them.

Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008.
If you believe something good will happen in your life, it will.

Monday, and All That Implies!

Ugh, this week is not going to be fun. Work = Bad This Week!! But enough negativity...

OK, I had way too much fun this weekend making cartoon versions of myself. Yes, I was procrastinating on the paper writing with this, but I'm doing fine on my study schedule so it doesn't matter! Seriously, so fun...
Workout Natalie... To Do List Natalie + Vincent...

Work-A-Holic Natalie + Vincent...

Cool huh?! They even have a Vincent dog!! Hee hee!

School starts ONE WEEK from today! I'm really excited believe it or not. I've been working hard to prepare for my first class and I really like the material. One of the guys that I work with is taking the class with me and he has had the professor before and said she does a good job. So I'm ready!

I went for the best run outside on Saturday. It was absolutely beautiful, over 70 degrees and sunny. However, my calves are killing me now. That always happens because I run up and down the stadium stairs at a school down the street half way through my runs. Seriously, it hurts...ouchy.

The diet is going really well, I'm already losing a lot! Only 3 more weeks to go! =)

We didn't do much this weekend. Friday night we saw Valkyrie, it was pretty good. And then Saturday we cooked some steak out on the grill then Jeff met the guys out on Dickson Street for a while.

Dad is coming up tomorrow and he and Jeff are going to go to the Razorback basketball game then he's going to stay at my house because he has to be in Missouri really early the next day. So driving from my house will save him about an hour of driving. So glad I could be of service! I'll have to kick kitty out of her room so he doesn't have to sleep on the couch though =)

Well, I guess I'll get back to my busy day, have a good one!

Happy New Year for Real Now!

Happy 2009! We made it! I'm verrrry tired today, my sleep schedule still hasn't adjusted from New Year's Eve so thank goodness it's already the weekend again. We stayed up till like 4 in the morning on New Year's Eve (I know, ridiculous)...and my alarm clock went off at 5:00am this morning as usual so that I could go to the gym but I just couldn't open my eyes! So I slept in till 6:20 =( It sucks too because I had my gym bag packed and EVERYTHING! I had very good intentions of getting my workout out of the way but hopefully we'll get off work early today and I can go run later. It's supposed to be 60 degrees or something so I might as well take advantage of that.

New Years was really fun, we went to two New Years/30th Birthday Parties! The first was at Doug and Suzanne Clark's and then second was at Greg & Kara Heim's. We had a lot of fun and caught up with a lot of good friends that we hadn't seen in a while.

Hank and Hollie came into town!

Dance party...

Oh and they had the funniest cake I've ever seen for Greg's party...

Well I started my diet yesterday! I'm doing very well but I've got a whole month to go, hopefully it will go by quickly! I told Jeff he can't eat around me at all the next month because it's like torture! He can eat a pizza a day and not gain weight, it's not fair =(

Happy 2009, good luck on your resolutions, I'll be sleeping and writing papers if you need me this weekend!