What a difference 46 Days can make.....

It was the day after Ash Wednesday that I decide to give up social media....Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Google+.

I am amazed at how much peace, healing and restoration has entered my life since then.  Today is the first day I logged on and I don't plan on doing it too often.  My primary intent to any public postings will serve the purpose of encouragement and share parts of my life that could inspire others in a positive manner keeping my focus on others. As I refocused on how I was spending my time, without any distractions of social media, there has been so much change in these last 46 days........

• I've continued my women's bible study and have had so experienced growth and healing.  As I have completed the last aspect of the study, called Lifegiver. I found out that sometimes to attain the peace and joy of life, you have to allow yourself to be vulnerable, allow yourself to rip off layers of your life to get to the new creation of you.  I could not have done this alone.  I had women in my life who encouraged and lifted me up. With Christ in me, I was reassured the whole time as he whispered truths into my mind, of who I am now, and how I can completely release my past through repentance. This healing part of my life, I am sharing in a separate blog post titled,"My Life Lesson as  LifeGiver."  This bible study has really encouraged me to become a better mother and to my kids.  This class and the other aspects and teachings I'm grasping onto from people in my church, daily devotionals and online sermons, has really helped with the process of restoring my relationships with my children.

• I've completed my 50 hours of training in the Stephen Ministry program!  I am over the top about this Ministry and the potential it has, not because of what we can do as Stephen Ministers, but the impact that God will have as he uses us to do his work in and through us to those who need his love most.  I am so excited to meet my care receiver and begin loving and supporting the person in whatever their need may be in their life. It is going to be a wonderful journey of hope and healing. Over the weekend of March 29-30th my class of 72 students stood before our congregation and were commissioned.  I could not stop smiling and feeling blessed to have the opportunity to serve God and my church family this way.

As for me and physical fitness, I'm doing my best to remain as active as possible, which are the days that my ankle isn't swelling too much or that I'm experiencing too much pain.  Recently, it has been locking up quite a bit.  I'm only two weeks away from my 2nd surgery.  I am praying that this round will be successful in removing the entire PVNS tumor. With that said.......

• I finished my final 10k race until surgery day.  Surprisingly, being that I have not trained or ran much prior to this race I did rather well.  I completed the 6.2 mile race in 1 hour 8 minutes! My daughter and one of my BFF's both were unable to join me as they had planned, so this year I ran it for all 3 of us.  I wore their bib numbers and enjoyed the beauty of the California coast as I ran. I wish I could say the fun was pain free, but unfortunately, it was not. Although, it did feel pretty amazing crossing the finish line with all the other ladies at the She.Is.Beautiful. 5k and 10k race.

• I've had the opportunity to hike up Mission Peak 2x in the last 46 days.  I never get tired of this hike. I find myself surrounded by so much beauty. I always enjoy it regardless if I am hiking it alone or I have company. I find myself thanking God for the ability to do such an amazing thing. It gives me time to reflect on life, listen to worship music, have a breathless conversation on the way up or just exchange a friendly smile with a passer-by's.  Life is good.

•  I've continued my training for the 2014 Tour De Cure Century ride set for May 4th in Napa. Last weekend I rode the 50 mile course in a team ride.  I'm so excited to do this ride with friends, but mostly to do it with my daughter.  It will be a great accomplishment for her and also experience something special together as a family. The joy in seeing the beautiful woman she is developing into is beyond words.  The best way to express it, is by the smile I get on my face when I think about where her path is taking her and when I get opportunity to share where it is taking her.  She is an expression of my love ♥

In addition to bike rides and a few spin classes, I've continued to keep active by challenging myself to another 30-day challenge.  I do my best to complete the circuits daily, sometimes making up a day by doing a double circuit because my ankle hasn't been cooperating with me over the last couple of weeks.  But when my ankle does permit the circuit includes the following exercises:

• Burppee's (Day 1 starts with 5 and Day 30 ends with 100)
• Plank's (Day 1 starts with a 20 seconds and Day 30 ends with 5 Minutes)
• Push-Up's (Day 1 starts with 5 and Day 30 ends with 100)
• Hi Knee's (Low Impact) (Day 1 starts with 15 and Day 30 ends with 50)
• Russian Twists (Day 1 starts with 25 and Day 30 ends with 100)
• Mountain Climbers balancing on a 8lb dual grip Sklz ball (Low Impact) (Day 1 starts with 10 and Day 30 ends with 50)
• Dips with one leg elevated (Day 1 starts with 5 and Day 30 ends with 100)
• Step-ups w/8lb dual-grip Sklz ball over head (Day 1 starts with 20 and Day 30 ends with 100)
• Shaper rotation routine w/5lb weight (Day 1 starts with 5 and Day 30 ends with 20)

Yesterday marked my last day of another 7-day cleanse. With surgery only two weeks away, I desired to focus back to healthy eating habits.  This past week came as a good opportunity to begin implementing those healthy eating habits back into my life.  I will continuously as with any discipline, need reprogram my mind from reaching for those unhealthy snacks and meals and choose healthy ones.

I will need to find the mental strength to deal with my limitations over the next few months.  This can only be done by giving that part to God and reminding myself of his truths.   I am very thankful that my daughter tells me often that, "God loves you exactly as you are Mom."  The low self-image issues I battle with constantly cause me to have a tendency to become obsessive over my fitness capabilities, weight and nutrition habits.  This obsessiveness leads me to a path which I do not want to go down because it is full of prideful behavior and idolization. My Taylor Boo does her best to point me back in the right direction and helps me keep my focus on what is really important; not on how I see myself in the mirror or how others may think I should look like, but on how GOD views me. ♥ 

I love as each day of life shows up, I get to choose the path to take. Perhaps I don't have control over my circumstances, but I can choose how to view each one.  I can choose to sit and pout about it, or I can make it an opportunity to learn, grown and gain wisdom.  Life is truly what you make of it and although most of us think it's about being happy by getting the materialistic things, the perfect job, getting that raise or promotion at work and all the other things we can store up here on earth. I've resolved that the secret to my joy and happiness, is what I'm storing up in my heart, mind and soul - who is CHRIST and all the promises of the Bible.  Learning contentment in what I have, who I am, and the circumstances placed before me have been a key factor in the joy I have in my life today.