Becoming a Runner

Running was a sport that looked like fun but I could never get started. 

One determined day, I laced up my shoes and headed out the door. Today was the day I would become a runner! But after 30 seconds of running, I was so winded and tired. I thought I was crazy to try to start running and I better head back inside before anyone witnessed my failed attempt at running. 

After I was married, I was determined again! I was working at Starbucks and my awesome manager, Josh was a runner. We also had a lot of regulars who were runners and I wanted to be a part of the elite club! So again, I laced up my shoes and went with my handsome guy out for a run. 

James was being a good motivator and tried to push me to run further and longer than I wanted to. It was good for me! We would run about 1.5 miles. But after a few weeks of running, I would slowly quit. It was too hard! 

Then in February 2012, we received the most exciting news- we were expecting! In my second trimester, I wanted to start some light exercise. I thought I could power walk for a mile. I could do that- it's not running but it's better than walking, right? Yet again, I laced up those tennis shoes, and headed out the door. Little did I know, I was about to run my first of many many miles, a journey of no return! 

There I was power walking in Rogersville, Missouri, (home of my awesome sister, Heather!). But after about a minute of brisk walking, I was bored. This was taking too long. So I decided I would run for a little bit to help speed up the process. I ran for about 30 seconds and then walked. After I caught my breath, I ran again. I did this for the whole mile. And once I finished, I was so excited! I RAN 1 MILE! Haha 

I wanted to work up to the point where I was running the entire mile and not walking. And I did! It took me awhile to work up to it but I did it. I remember being able to keep up with James the next time we ran together, it was a huge accomplishment for me! 

Throughout my entire pregnancy (up to two days before I went into labor) I ran 1-2 miles, five days a week. When I was tired or sore from running, I would make sure to go the next day. This helped stretch my legs and made me feel much better. At this time, I wasn't doing distance so I didn't need to rest days in between. But if you need a day of rest then take it! Don't burn yourself out but don't take the easy road either. :) It's okay to push yourself a little bit at a time! Only you know your body so listen to it! 

Running while pregnant isn't for everyone. I know many women have health conditions that don't allow it but the majority can exercise moderately! They say to never start something new while pregnant. But if it's light moderate exercise it's okay. Don't train for your first marathon or anything crazy like that but one mile a day is safe. Just make sure it's okay with your doctor or midwife. Running for me was great for my pregnancy. It helped with all the aches and pains and with delivery! 

Don't use being pregnant as an excuse to not exercise. Rather use it as a motivation to start! Do it for that sweet growing babe inside of you. Or if God has already blessed you with children, do it for them! You owe it to them and yourself to be healthy! I promise you won't regret it. 

For those of you who are interested in starting your running career, simply start. Every runner started off somewhere. I started pregnant and traveling on deputation! Nobody woke up one day, rolled out of bed and ran a marathon. Okay I'm sure there's someone but he's crazy and I'm sure never did that again. Or if your like my courageous sister in law, Hannah, you sign up for your first marathon after only running for a week and have only five months to train. But she will tell you more on that in a future post! She's awesome!

It takes time to build up to it. Start small and work your way up. Download an app and get started. I've heard a lot of beginners like Couch to 5K for a starting plan. Also download a running app to keep track of your progress. I love the Nike Plus running app. It keeps track of miles, calories burned, and you can write notes about your run (which is great if you're training for a marathon of half marathon.) it tells you your average pace and you can review all your miles in your run to see fastest and slower times. Currently, I've run 1,266 miles since Jacob was born, 211 runs and an average pace of 9:26. 

For those who have already begun your running journey, stay consistent! Consistency is key. Exercising one day a week won't result in much results if any. And challenge yourself! If you've never ran in a race sign up for a 5K! If you only walk 5K's work up to running the entire race. Sign up for a half marathon if you're comfortable running 3 miles. Most training plans are very doable. You'll be surprised what you can accomplish if you try! 

My next running posts will be on How to Stay Motivated and How I got started in Running Distance. I hope to write a running post at least every other week. And also have guest posts from other runners- their best advice and their journey into running. Stay tuned! 

Fajitas & Bologna

One of the things I looked forward to most about moving to Russia, was finally being able to settle down. Set up home, have friends over, decorate house- you know normal things people do when they don't travel all the time.

Well since we are house sitting, I can't completely settle in and set up home. However, I am able to invite friends over, which is one of my favorite things! Now typically, when I invite friends over I try to make a nice meal for them. I want them to enjoy themselves and the food! And when I'm planning a meal for guest, bologna is usually far far far from my mind!

This past Thursday, we invited one of the missionary families, James and Cassie Dean, and their girls over for dinner.
They actually just left today to head back to the States on furlough. Please pray for them as they travel and raise the additional support they need!
The power had been out all day, but just before they arrived, the power came back on! I had prepared all the food the day before so dinner was on the table in less than an hour. I was so thankful I had prepared ahead of time! We enjoyed our time together and had a nice hot Italian meal!

Then Monday, we invited our friends Matt and Katie Northcutt over. We had a lunch date and fajitas were on the menu. Sunday night was upon me and I wasn't in the cooking mood, but I knew I should go ahead and get everything ready. Then in the morning I could go for a run without worrying about doing a million things. So I did just that! I prepared and baked the apple pie, made salsa and hummus, and chopped up the chicken and veggies. Life was good.

It's Monday morning and what happens? You guessed it, the power went out again! Seriously, what are the odds?!?

Hmmm…what to do…reschedule? risk it?

The important things were done, apple pie, salsa and hummus! Mmmm we could live off of that. So I risked it!

Our guests arrive. Still no power…

2pm I reluctantly decided to go with making sandwiches. I didn't really want to serve my guests bologna when I had made a Mexican feast! Katie was actually pretty excited about eating bologna since she loves it and hadn't had it since the summer. James is the bologna eater in our home, (Gross! haha)  I prefer turkey! (Does anyone really know what's in bologna??) I felt a little bad to serve sandwiches when I had prepared a nice meal, but everyone was flexible and didn't seem to mind. ( I know secretly they were pining for some fajitas!)

5:45pm still no power. So we decided to head to their apartment in the city and make the fajitas for dinner and watch a Christmas movie.

6:02pm we were just about to pile in the car and then the power comes back on! Finally!

We ended up still going to the city and making our fajitas at their apartment and watching a Christmas movie. It was a impromptu progressive dinner and we had a great time!

The power actually just came back on today too after being off for five hours! Ha. My point is sometimes things happen in our lives that are out of our control, like the power going out. What we  do have control over is our reaction and our response to the situation. And even in situations where we do have some control, it's usually best to let go and let God work things out. How do you respond when things don't go according to plan? Are you trusting God in the areas you don't have control over? Or are  you trying to figure out 100 ways how you can fix it? Simply, trust God.

He knows you worked hard to make a nice Mexican feast for your friends, but for now He wants you to eat bologna and be thankful for it!

And be wise with your time, you never know when the power will go out! ;)

31Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

32 ...for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. **

34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. Matthew 6

Homemade Hummus & Salsa

The Christmas season is upon us! And I'm sure for many of you, that means Christmas parties galore! The temptation during the holidays is to eat unhealthy. Most people associate healthy eating with tasting bad but that is not the case here!

Here are two really simple and quick recipes to mix up the night before a party: Basic Garlic Hummus & Simple Salsa. The best part is they take about 10 minutes or less to prepare! 

You want to leave time for the flavors to marinate for a few hours before serving, but it's best overnight.

I've never made either salsa or hummus before so this was my first time. I can only imagine the recipes getting even more tastier the more I experiment.  I love chips and salsa and in recent years have discovered my love for hummus. You can buy salsa here in Siberia, but it's made by Heinz. And it taste like ketchup- yuck!!

I'm having friends over this afternoon for lunch and am making fajitas and I really wanted some hummus and salsa.

Basic Garlic Hummus

Hummus:

1 Can of Garbanzo beans (chick peas) drained and rinsed

2 tsp of fresh cilantro

1 fresh minced garlic clove or 2 tsp of garlic powder

2 tsp of fresh parsley

1/2 tsp of cumin

1 TBSP of olive oil

1 1/2 TBSP of tahini (sesame seed paste- I didn't have this and it can be made without it.) 

Add these to help cream the hummus

*1 TBSP of Sour cream ( I added this to make it a little more creamy. This is optional)

*1 TBSP of water (optional but I recommend. Add more if needed)

Add all ingredients to a food processor and blend. Scrape the sides to help cream hummus. When I blended everything it still tasted pretty bland- so I added the sour cream and a few extra seasonings that I like (Italian). So feel free to add whatever you like to your taste. 

Scrape into a bowl. Add paprika for color and a sprinkle of parsley and cilantro on top for decorations! 

Serve with tortilla chips, pita bread or veggies! 

To make a Roasted Red Pepper Hummus; 

Add 1/4 C of roasted red peppers

3 TBSP of lemon juice 

1/2 tsp of cayenne pepper  

Simple Salsa

Simple Salsa:

4 ripe tomatoes

1/4 C of cilantro ( I love cilantro!!)

1/3 C or less of finely chopped onion (or less depending on taste)

2 TBSP of finely chopped pepper (jalepeno, but I used green pepper since I didn't have a jalepeno)

1 tsp of minced garlic (or garlic powder)

Bowl two cups of hot water and pour over onion and green pepper. Let cook for about 5 minutes and drain and rinse with cold water. 

Add all ingredients to food processor. And pulse just until blended. Leave it chunky or puree it according to how you want the consistency. I like it chunky but processed a little bit for flavor. 

Again, you can make this as spicy or as mild as you like it. Omit or reduce onion for less of a kick and omit or reduce the jalepeno also. Or add more to make it spicy and throw in some cayenne pepper. I added too much onion to mine but I know for next time! 

Serve with tortilla chips and enjoy these two healthy dips for your holiday parties! 

Up next on the recipe posts will be : Apple Pie, and Apple Pie Oatmeal Cookies ( a fun twist on oatmeal raisin cookies!) 

"O taste and see that the Lord is good!"

Hope you enjoy my recipes as I am learning to cook from scratch here in Russia! 

I also welcome any salsa or hummus recipes that you like or any tricks and tips you would like to share! 

A Sip of Humility

As I sit here unwinding from my day, I have in hand a warm cup tea accompanied with an amazing apple pie cookie. (Yes a cookie that taste like apple pie! Recipe to be posted soon!) Life is good! 

** Insert feed baby, feed husband, clean kitchen (for the 91st time today), sweep up mess made by Jacob, start dishwasher (praise the Lord for the dishwasher!) change another dirty diaper, train Jacob on the word "no", get Jacob ready for bed, realize his clothes need washed, throw laundry in the wash, take out clean clothes, hang clean clothes up to dry (dryer still broken), put away dry clothes that are hanging, sit down and get back in the writing zone! **

Okay now as I sit here and unwind from my day, I have an iced coffee in hand and am ready to relax! It's been a full and great day! We had a wonderful service today, and had the teens/kids stay over after service for tea and cookies. Then I went for a run, and visited our neighbor Babavara. Allow me to introduce you to Babavara.

This picture couldn't be more perfect because as you can see Jacob has candy! She just loves spoiling him! And I allow it since we don't normally give him a whole piece of chocolate (let alone 3!). I do have to cut him off after two pieces. Babavara, Grandma Barbara, is our beautiful next door neighbor. She has been widowed now for a little over two years ( I believe). I do my best to go over and visit her at least twice a week. It's a great way for me to learn a few new words each time I go. 

Before my sweet friend, DeeDee Sterling, left me all alone here in Siberia, we visited Babavara. As we entered her house, she welcomed us with her shiny smile and put some tea on. She began pulling things out of the fridge and insisted we eat up! Fruit, bread, chocolate…anything she could find. 

This act of kindness always humbles me. 

  It's customary here in Russia to offer your guests tea and something to eat when they come for a visit. I love this! Not just because I love to eat but because it's a good reminder to not be too busy to stop and take time for people. There have been several times we go to visit people, and it doesn't matter what time of day it is, what they are doing, they stop everything to make you feel welcomed into their home. They offer you tea and whatever they have to be a blessing. A sip of humility!

  I believe it would be pretty safe to say in America, we are a very schedule oriented people. If I were to pop in on a friend unexpectedly, I would probably be offered something to drink while my friend either ran around the house trying to tidy up or continued what she was doing while talking to me. And I would probably be guilty of the same thing. At times, I get so wrapped up in trying to make the house clean, and play hostess that I don't take time to stop and enjoy my company. Sure we have conversations, but as I'm doing the dishes and putting leftovers away, then getting out dessert and making coffee, then the vicious cycle repeats. This reminds me of a little story in the Bible…Mary and Martha. 

Martha & Mary Summed Up: 

Jesus came to Martha's house. Martha welcomed him into her home and immediately began preparing food and playing hostess, like any good woman! Her sister Mary simply sat at the feet of Jesus listening to him. (Lazy Mary!) So Martha got super stressed out and had had enough of doing all the work alone! So she came and whined to Jesus, asking him to make Mary come help her in the kitchen. Jesus calmly said, Silly Martha, Relax! Okay what he really said was, 

"Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things:

But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her." Luke 10:41,42

Poor Martha! Martha gets a lot of bad PR (public relations). But Martha was being a good hostess. She was making her guest feel welcomed. If you were a hungry guest at Mary's house, you would still be a hungry guest when you left. So let's be honest, who would you want to host you? I don't know about you but I would want Martha! 

There needs to be a balance! 

But let's not miss the point here. Jesus said one thing is needful, and Mary hath chosen that good part. She realized what was most important and that was spending time with Jesus. 

First and foremost.

May we not be too busy in the ministry and doing things that we miss the most important part, spending time with Jesus. Satan uses busyness to distract us from our relationship with Christ. If Satan can distract us from spending time with Christ, then we go about doing our ministry in our own strength. And then Satan has won!

Second.

If it wasn't for people, we wouldn't have a ministry! How silly is it to be cumbered about many things, that we miss ministering the love of Christ to people?! Take time to enjoy your friends and family. Life is too short to be too busy!

A Stress-Free Thanksgiving!

Stress Free & Holidays- Do the two mix??

Well maybe not entirely, but you can do your best! I mean let's be honest whenever there's family involved it is usually stressful on some level. Ha!

I like to be as stress free as possible! It's in my nature. I don't like to stress- it's no fun! I like to be one step ahead if I can. Now this doesn't mean I always accomplish being ahead or being stress free but that is always my initial goal.

What is stress?

Stress is result of a lack of trust in God, it's a sin. I never really thought about it that way until I sat down and pondered it a moment. Talk about convicting! Even in the little things, God wants you to trust Him!

Stress creeps in when we have fallen behind in our daily tasks or if we haven't communicated properly with our spouse, etc. For James and I it used to be on Sundays that we would fight stress. Why is that? Who would want us stressed out on Sundays so our minds aren't on Christ and Christ can't be honored and glorified-Satan. So be mindful of this truth when you are about to stress out and go loco on your family. Stop and pray! God cares about you more than you know!

With that in mind here are some simple and practical tips to help your Holidays have a little less stress!

#1. Make lists! If your life is insanely busy, write down a schedule and prioritize what you can get done before Thanksgiving. Grocery List, To-Do List, etc. You'll feel better once it's all written down. Delegate what you can. And don't be too prideful to ask for help! Sure you can do it all alone but if you don't have to--don't! ( It's a little bold of me to say that but I used to be that prideful person who tried to do it all myself. I didn't want to bother anyone but I found life is so much more happier when asking for help! ) 

#2.  If you haven't gone grocery shopping--get out there! The sooner the better! The stores will just be insane by Wednesday. I know, I know, you just haven't had time. Well it's time to make time!

#3. Cook ahead! I have a friend who cooks her turkey the day before and has it all cut and ready to eat. She keeps it in broth so it doesn't dry out and warming in the crockpot. Genius Idea! I made the -from scratch- green bean casserole and the sweet potato casserole a few days ahead and put them in the freezer. Pull them out and put them in the fridge about 48 hours ahead of time and pop in the oven the day of! And anything else you can cook ahead of time- do it! 

If you make rolls from scratch- let the dough rise about an hour, then punch the dough and form the rolls. Put them directly in the freezer before letting them rise the second time. When you're ready to bake them, put them into the oven frozen and turn on the oven- don't preheat! The rolls will thaw, rise, and bake to perfection! Time saved! Your welcome! :)    

#4. Clean house- one room at a time. One day at a time. Don't leave all the cleaning to the day before. And it doesn't have to be perfect! No one will inspect your ceiling fan…Well I may but I won't be there, so no worries there!

#5.  Relax, ! It's just food! What doesn't get done, will get done eventually. Don't get too busy to not enjoy your family and friends! (Remember the story of Mary and Martha?!) The dishes will get done later on- so sit enjoy the food and fellowship! And make your Black Friday shopping list and strategy!

And if all else fails and dinner is a complete disaster- there's always Cracker Barrel or Papa Johns!

#6. Last but certainly not least- Give thanks to God! Every good thing is a gift from the Lord. (Remember stress is sin-& stress wrinkles--no one wants those!)

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

So Happy Week of Thanksgiving to you! May the Lord bless you this holiday season. Hope I could be of some tiny assistance and your holidays are a little less stressful! 

Stay tuned for some pumpkin coffee cake muffin, pumpkin cookies, and green bean casserole from scratch recipes!

Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; Ephesians 5:20

When Life Gives You Lemons...

Take a Benadryl…

Well that's what I have to do since I'm oddly enough allergic to them. But anyways back to my point...

We all know the saying, "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade." 

Simply, make the best of your situation. When things don't go the way they are planned, be flexible.

For me, it means finding a new "normal".  Starbucks, Aldis, Target, The Limited- these are a few of my favorite stores, and none of these are here in Siberia. So do I sit around and sulk?

No, I can't! So I've been trying to make lemonade.

And even though Siberia sounds desolate and isolated it really isn't that bad. At least not here in the city of Krasnoyarsk. So here's what I've found.

Starbucks:

"Travelers Coffee"

All organic delicious coffee! And at the mall there's a Cinnabon where we like to grab Americano's and the ladies there remember us and our order! They smile every time we show up and I just smile back. They know I can't speak Russian so we just spend a few moments smiling. So I have my new "Starbucks" two of them!

Aldi's:
"Metro"

Metro is a grocery store that's a lot like Sam's Club and a Super center Target combined. You don't need to put a quarter in the cart to use it but they don't bag your groceries like Aldi's! It's not as awesome as Target but it'll do!

Papa John's:
"Papa John's!"

 They just got Papa John's here in Krasnoyarsk about a year ago! And pizza is best shared with friends! This is my friend Katie!





Welcome to Planeta -The Mall- The Limited:
"Reserved"

And my favorite part is the palm trees!! God put palm trees in Siberia for me! They have a lot of stores I recognize like Nike, Lacoste, Lush, and even a Sephora! Well a Russian version but it's still a Sephora! 

See so living in Siberia isn't all that bad! Don't get me wrong, there are times it's difficult and I get really homesick. I teared up when received our first care packages from my mother and father in law. I was excited to see grocery bags from Giant Eagle and a Bath and Body Works bag. ha! But I will talk more on that in my next post about Thanksgiving and how to make home made green bean casserole! You'll never go back to the canned kind. 

So life is what you make of it! And God cares about the little desires of your heart, like palm trees and coffee! (I'm sure there will be coffee in heaven. And we will sit around and listen to Jesus talk!) Make sure to keep your eyes on Christ and everything will fall into place. Trust God completely, He knows what He is doing. Remember? His ways are higher than our ways! 

Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Psalm 37:4

O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man

 that trusteth in him.  Psalm 34:8

The verses God put in the Bible just for me!

So I am very excited about this post!

I have been praying for the past month that God would give me a verse or two.
Not just any verses but verses that I could claim for my own. Verses that would remind me when the days are tough and seem fruitless, why we are here and lift my spirits.

Now that's some high expectations for some verses (well from me but not for God)!

So how does a person find specific verses like that? Is there a book we can go to to magically find a life verse or special verse?

The answer is simple…

Read the Bible. And pray.

There is no "magical" way of locating verses like that but through prayerful study of God's Word. Sooo you gotta read and stick with it. It will amaze you how much more you get from reading the Bible when you intentionally pay attention. Well it amazed me. :) 

I have been searching in God's Word for these verses. Searching for a hidden treasure. I knew God would give me the verses eventually.

The other day, I opened up my Bible and it opened to Isaiah 57. I flipped back a few chapters and decided to start reading in chapter 55. I wasn't reading in Isaiah in my devotions but I thought, why not take a little read. Not knowing that I was about to find my verses!

The Lord gave me Isaiah 55:8-9 when He called us to go to Russia for the first time. My heart was scared and I didn't understand why God would move us to a new ministry so soon (and so far away!).

The Bible says clearly in those two verses that God's thoughts and ways are not our thoughts and ways. And as the heavens are higher than the earth so are His ways and thoughts are higher than our own. It doesn't get any more clearer than that! And as children of God, we are to simply trust God and live by faith. That means not knowing where are next step will be, but trusting the One who does know.

So I read a little further and in my Bible I have verses 8-13 underlined except verse 10. But today it popped out to me.

Isaiah 57:10

"For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:

(11) So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it."

Are those not perfect verses?! 

It got me thinking…

The truth in these verses are so simple but yet so powerful. 

When it snows (or rains)- the water doesn't go back into the clouds- it stays on the ground. Pretty basic truth. But something I really never thought about. And God compares the snow/rain to His Word, the Gospel. 

When God sends the Gospel message to a place, (insert your place of residency--Hawaii-Florida (can you tell I'm daydreaming of tropical places?!)-Africa-Hungary-Brazil-Cleveland-Texas, Siberia .etc you get the idea) His Word will not and can not return void. The Bible says clearly in verse 11 it will accomplish that which pleases God, it will prosper where God sends it. And God has sent me and my family to bring the Gospel to Siberia, Russia. Simply, He has a purpose for us being here and that is to spread the Gospel of Christ. And God will do the rest of the work! 

 Just like the rain and snow bring water to the ground to help the earth and plants to grow (seed to the sower and bread to the eater) so will God's Word be everywhere it is planted and sent. So may I encourage all of you who are around this world planting the Gospel- God is always at work. His Word can not return void. You don't have to be a missionary or pastor or pastor's wife to do the work of the Lord. God may have not called you to be in ministry but that doesn't  mean your position or place in life is any less important. Your responsibility to share the Gospel is very important. You may know people at work that only you can come in contact with that your pastor may never meet. Do they see God in your life? 

Let's get busy about the Lord's work! And when your efforts seem fruitless, be mindful of these verses. It shall prosper whereto I sent it. 

God is good! I'm so thankful He gave me these verses! How about you? Are there verses that you are searching for to claim as your own? I would love to hear about your life verse or a verse that has spoken to you in recent days.