The Shape I'm In

I had a long weekend from work this past weekend.

Let's just say I was not ready to go to work today.

Back to the grind, as usual.

Remember the Giselle diet?

Yeh, the one I'm on to lose some weight and tone it up before our cruise in May.

I totally failed last week.

It started with some M&Ms, and then a little Burger King, and ended with doughnuts on Saturday morning.

BAD KATIE.

And Ben is a bad influence on me. First thing he said to me on Saturday morning, stinky breath and all, "Want to go to Krispy Kreme?"

Who can resist that stinky breath, messy hair, sleepy eyed look from their husband when all they have on their mind is doughnuts?

I had a chocolate iced doughnut Saturday morning.

And we bought some for Sunday morning, too.

We are back in full swing with the regime today!

Back to the gym (I bought new workout pants at the Nike outlet store yesterday. SCORE!) where I punched out 3 1/2 miles on the elliptical, plus my weight training.

Then we headed to Publix (aka Heaven) afterwards to get food for the week.

This week's menu:

fresh grilled salmon with fresh green beans

homemade soup with chicken and veggies (I posted this recipe already)

grilled lemon chicken with sweet corn

grilled steak with new potatoes and broccoli

YUM!

*SUBJECT CHANGE*

Ben and I have been doing a little searching and a lot of thinking.

We visited another church last week and this past Sunday.

We feel like maybe God's leading us to somewhere new.

Somewhere out of our comfort zone. At this other church, we don't know anybody (actually, I know one person, but it was pure coincidence running into her after the service). We are total strangers to these people.

And it's just DIFFERENT. Ben and I grew up in similar churches. Southern Baptist churches are pretty much all the same. You know when to stand up, sit down, pass the offering plate, etc.

There's nothing WRONG with that. We're just not being challenged by it. Church is supposed to challenge you, not go in one ear and out the other, which is how we've felt for a while.

That's not to say that others are feeling the same way. Others could hear the same thing and be totally challenged by it. This is solely about Ben and me and the point we are at with our relationship with God. The church we have been attending is a great church full of great people. We just may be moving in a different direction.

So, the past two times we've been to this church, we've left the sermon feeling challenged. The sermon was applicable to life and we could use it. God could use us.

Are we sure we're going to join this church? No. We're going to visit their small groups first and see if it is a move we want to make.

It's just a weird feeling to know that different could be better than what we already had, which was great.

Sorry for my ramblings. It's a Monday. My brain is on auto-pilot.

RANDOM MUSIC MONDAY

Talk about stuck in your head. And I don't even like Joe Nichols, but this song is great.

Keep your tissues handy for the video, btw. Thanks to our military for serving and sacrificing. Never forget.

The sun came up again this morning

I took my old fastback for a spin

Now when it rains, it ain't always pouring

And I'm learning how to live again.

What I'm Loving Wednesday

WHAT?

No song title?

Because today's post is different!

I'm linking up to Jamie's "What I'm Loving Wednesday" over at This Kind of Love, a new blog I'm following!

Here are the things I'm loving this week!

1. My sweet, sweet puppy.

She's figured out that Dad (Ben) is the one she plays with and I'm the one she snuggles with. There is nothing better than that sweet puppy looking at me in the morning right after I wake up. She army crawls up by me and we spend a few minutes just loving on each other before I have to drag myself out of bed.

2. Scattegories - Cattegories

If you haven't played this version of Scattegories, you've got to. SOOOOOOO much fun and a little different from regular Scattegories. Ben and I find ourselves playing when we're bored, just the two of us!

3. Ben passed the polygraph test portion of the Trooper process! YAY!!!!! I didn't marry a liar!

4. THESE.

They will be arriving sometime next week, via ideeli.com. I paid $29 for these babies! WHOO HOO!!!!! Thank you, Kenneth Cole.

5. A quick trip to Dothan tomorrow night for a doctor's visit Friday morning. Conestoga and American Idol with Mom!

6. The new season of American Idol.

These judges are fantastic. Just when I thought Idol was on it's way out, they've revamped themselves and it's better than ever! Can't wait to see how this season plays out!

7. A 60 degree forecast for Saturday! SUNSHINE!!!!!!!!!

8. As always, my sweet husband!

RANDOM TRIVIA FACT: The news that we're watching said that 14% of women would consider choosing their dog over their significant other if forced to choose. I mean, I love Charlotte, but I sure do love my man!

Long Day's Night

It's Monday.

I've been laying on the couch for hours being a total slob while Ben went to play basketball with the boys.

I did not go to the gym today. I didn't want to.

I wanted to lay on the couch for hours and be a total slob while Ben went to play basketball with the boys.

Charlotte obliged and has been laying here with me.

I watched two episodes of Pretty Little Liars, an episode of Greek, and now I'm watching Skins on MTV...WHAT THE HECK?!?!?!?!?!?

I wasn't even allowed to watch MTV's Spring Break growing up and now this crap is on? It's been 10 minutes and there's been drugs, underage partying, and a lesbian sex scene...all by high school kids.

I read a piece on it this week. MTV said that it's aimed at adults because of it's time slot, which is 10(E). Ummmmm...that's 9(C). I stayed up til at least midnight when I was not an adult....

And we wonder why our kids are so messed up.

ANYWAYS.

Ben just got home and Charlotte has run to the door leading into the garage. She knows when she hears that rumble, it means someone is coming in the door.

I'm going to go spend time with my favorite husband and my favorite doggie.

RANDOM MUSIC MONDAY: Favorite song today.

I'll Be There For You

THESE people are coming to see me today.

I'm a little excited.

Mandi and Mark are getting married in June and they are two of my bestest friends in the whole wide world.

You know that post I had about people not turning their back on you and SEEING Jesus in people. These are two of those people.

They never left my side when I decided to go the wrong way.

They loved me through it.

I love them for it.

Random Trivia Fact: Lady is suing a mall because she fell in their fountain while texting. She's saying no one helped her and there should have been a guardrail. I'm saying she's an idiot who should have been watching where she was going

Bad

I don't like when people make me look bad.

That's all for right now.

I Feel Pretty

AWARDS SHOW SEASON HAS BEGUN!!!!!!

I love red carpet stuff. The women look so glamorous (and not-so-glamorous). I love the classic Hollywood looks and the new, edgy runway looks. Here are a few of my faves!

Anne Hathaway

This gorgeous gold mirror ball dress was fantastic. She really can do no wrong. This was a look we have not seen from her before, and it's beautiful.

Dianna Agron

I mentioned her before at the Emmy's. She has the young starlet thing DOWN. Love the hair, the nude color, the bag, the make-up...perfection.

Emma Stone

Debuting her new blonde don't (RED HEAD TRAITOR!!!!!), her blush colored dress was a definite DO! Love the silhouette it creates!

Eva Longoria

Tony Parker is an idiot and I hope he locked himself in a closet when he saw this picture. Eat your heart out, Tony Parker!

Mila Kunis

This emerald color was a hit on the carpet this year, and she wore it stunningly. The texture on the dress is amazing.

Helen Mirren

Classic beauty showing you are never too old to be glamorous.

Julianne Hough

This look was panned, but I LOVE IT. She can pull this severe look off. She is beautiful.

NOW FOR THE WORST DRESSED NOMINEES...

Lea Michele

I really want her to look her age and leave the prom-bombs at home. She's a little girl. She needs less dress.

Michelle Williams

WHY, MICHELLE, WHY!?!?!?!?!?

Leighton Meester

Now, I usually love all things Leighton Meester, but this is AWFUL. Shapeless.

Julianne Moore

Hey Julianne! Ever heard of a steamer?

Jennifer Love Hewitt

Hasn't she worn this before? TO EVERY AWARDS SHOW? And what is with the bun on the head? I don't get it.

Vanessa Williams

The body and color are great. The middle part hair is not. Drop it, Vanessa. Give me some curls and body in that hair and part it on the side.

Angelina Jolie

I don't get why everyone is so crazy about this look. She's worn this same dress in black a million times. Just because she wears it in green doesn't make it a Best Dressed.

So, there you have it. Best and worst dressed of the evening!

Do you agree? Disagree?

Random Music Monday: LOVING this song right now. Total chill out song.

I want to sit right here

Stay away from there

Make pretend I just don't care

I could get up and go get her back

Maybe I'll just let her go...

Sinners Like Me

A blog of serious note today...

Hubby and I have been talking about this basically on a daily basis for about a week now.

We are having major issues with SEEING Jesus in people.

Does this sound crazy?

Absolutely. It should. Seeing Jesus in people should be easy considering we are made in His image and are supposed to be reflecting Him in everything we do, right?

Wrong.

I've always thought about reflecting Jesus by being the way Jesus was while he was here on the Earth. Take his ministry for example:

Jesus wasn't just hanging out with the disciples all the time. His ministry would have been pointless, had that been the case. He did not come clothed as a king or a priest, who would have been expected to be an elitist. He came as a carpenter - an everyman - who people found unbelievable to be the Savior of the Nation.

Think of the people He associated himself with - He ate dinner with the tax collector, a known thief and cheat. He healed the lame, sick, and demon possessed whose culture believed sin caused their illness. He healed the child of the Roman centurion, a hated man in Israel. Some of the disciples themselves were less than glorious creatures - fishermen. They were smelly, single men with no status symbols.

Not who the Savior of the Nation was supposed to be.

So why do we as Christians feel like we should surround ourselves ONLY with other Christians?

Aren't we missing the point?

Jesus was radical. He went against everything that hundreds of years of Jewish teaching had taught. He made FRIENDS with these people who were unsavory and unclean. He became relatable and loving and caring on these people who society said were undeserving. Jesus was a REBEL.

Ben and I feel like our whole life it has been drilled into our heads that we should stay away from the bad influence people and be friends only with Godly people. Has church not taught us that? Have our parents not taught us that?

"Stay away from him - he has issues."

"Don't hang out with her - she has a reputation."

"People will think you are just like her if they see you with her."

How are we ever going to win those people without being their friend? How can we show them Christ's love without loving them? All we are showing them by ignoring them is everything they have ever believed about Christians - elitist...hypocrytical...holier than thou...fake...closet sinners...

We can't just throw a tract at these people, promise to pray for them, and never think about them again. We can't condemn them for sin and then live a life of sin ourselves. We can't proclaim a life of outreach only to concentrate on foreign countries (while important, don't get me wrong) and forget about the person sitting at the desk next to us who needs Jesus. We can't take for granted that we live in the Bible Belt and everyone has heard of Jesus. We can't exclude people from our lives because we are afraid of the influence they will have on our appearance. We can't choose to surround ourselves only with Christians when we are supposed to be reaching out to sinners.

And I'm talking on a DAILY basis. This is not a one afternoon of the month, one week of the year thing. This is people we come in contact with every day. Not just the homeless or the broken down or the sick, which is who are charitable minds tend to gravitate to. These are a friends, our co-workers, the person standing next to us in line at Wal-Mart. People considered "clean" and "whole" by society. This is habitual evangelism (I'm pretty sure I just made that up - but I love it).

We are called evangelistic for a reason.

Our sinners nowadays are a little different. We don't come in contact with the lame and leper everyday. Identifying the problem is a little harder sometimes. Another thing Ben and I talk about is our call to missions. Some people are called to full-time missions overseas. Some people are called to full-time missions here in the country. Some people are called to work with the homeless and the abandoned. Ben and I feel like we are called to work with the normal.

Does that sound strange?

We feel like we are called to work with the every day person with the not so obvious issue.

The man with the good job, good family, grew up in church, but doesn't know Jesus.

The woman who loves Jesus but is questioning her belief after the sudden death of her husband.

The youth who are peer pressured just like we were in high school and college.

We feel like we are called to just BE with these people. Be their friend. Listen to their issues. Take it slowly. Bring out the Jesus when they are ready to listen and they can trust us.

HOW we're going to do that, we're not sure. We haven't quite figured that out yet. But we do know we're not going to stop hanging out with our sinner friends and we're not going to condemn their sins. Do they know where we stand? Yes. Do they know where they can come to hear about Jesus? Yes. Am I armed and ready for a theological argument? YES.

Am I going to push them away by shoving Jesus down their throats? No.

I'm still going to invite them to my home. We're still going to go bowling with them. I'm going to pray and hope that one day they take things seriously. But, if I want them to do that, I've got to have them trust me. From experience, the quickest way to push someone further away who is already running is to try to force feed them what they are running away from. They've already chosen not to listen - they don't want to be told every second why they should.

So, I love them unconditionally and pray for the day that they come home.

I am a sinner, too, and at several points in my life, people have reached out to me similarly. I was not shunned or excluded. I was continually welcomed in and loved for who I was as a person, not just as a Christian. We are all failures. We all deserve second chances and forgiveness, because we were first forgiven.

There were times then, and times now, when I am excluded for who I was then and who I am now. I sometimes am excluded for the people I associate with (which proves my point!!!!). I hope to never exclude someone for past or present sin. Life is hard and people make mistakes. All people deserve love and acceptance.

This is how I hope people see Jesus in me.

Really Random Off the Subject Blog Note: Miss America is Saturday! Miss Alabama, Ashley Davis, is from Dothan and has already won the preliminary swimsuit award! Check it out on ABC Saturday night!

Mad World

Random unloadings on a Tuesday.

1. This is the fitness goal.

No biggie. Just a Victoria's Secret model who is genetically built that way whose job is to look good and probably eats whatever she wants.

I can do it! I am determined!

2. Ben and I are planning a CRUISE in May! We are planning a second honeymoon/last chance vacation. He will start a job in June that will dictate our schedule for at least five years, if not more. Plus, we're planning on having babies soon. Babies and cruises don't mix.

And I need to put my toes in some sand that does not belong to the United States.

3. I thought we left cliques behind in high school? I think I'm pretty likeable. Maybe not. But if you want people to believe you are a friend, then maybe you should be a friend. Just saying. That's what Jesus did.

4. Praying for the family of Jordan Middlebrooks, a Troy student of Wetumpka, and the shooting victims in Arizona. Jordan was abducted from her home off campus, stabbed, and left for dead. The shooting victims in Arizona were completely innocent at the hand of a madman. Lord, save our land.

5. I made some AMAZING soup tonight:

3 chicken breasts, boiled and cubed

2 tomatoes, cubed

1 can niblet corn

1 can mushrooms (stems and pieces)

Handful of chopped baby carrots

1 can chicken broth (with one can water added)

4 bay leaves

Minced onion to taste

Bring chicken broth and water mix to rolling boil. Add veggies and chicken with bay leaves.

Add minced onion until you like the taste. I judged that the soup was done when the carrots were mushy.

I like mushy carrots and this was DELICIOUS. My house smells wonderful.

I meant to add cubed potatoes, but I turned the wrong eye on so they weren't done in time. I went ahead and finished cooking those. I'll make a garlic butter sauce for that for dinner tomorrow.

AND I MADE THIS RECIPE BY MYSELF.

6. That's really all. I'm just in a crabby mood because I have seen too many instances of people treating each other like crap today. I just wish everyone would be nice and polite and respectful of each other's feelings.

Random Trivia Fact: Because Auburn won the National Championship last night - There has never been another state to produce back to back National Championship titles in all NCAA football history. Thanks for bringing it home, Auburn. Congrats on a brilliant season.

Let it...Ice?

Are we snowed in?

Nope.

Iced in.

I'm out of work today! YAY!

Charlotte is FLIPPING OUT. She is so upset that her yard is crunchy. Poor thing.

Hysterical last night. She goes outside to pee. She feels the snow falling on her back. She looks up to see what it is and it falls in her eyes. She's upset that it's in her eyes, but wants to badly to know what it is, so she continues to open her eyes and have snow fall in them.

Poor thing. Must be so hard for her to not understand stuff. With a child, you can explain what snow is and where it comes from and why it falls from the sky. Not a dog. You just have to laugh and give her love when she runs frantically inside after she's through.

Anyways.

So, people are idiots.

The roads are covered in ice. We've been keeping a pretty close watch on the news. We are prepared for winter weather. Not nuclear winter prepared, like some people suggest (milk and bread? what?), but we have food and there are fresh batteries in our flashlights in case our power goes down.

The newscasters keep saying, "You should really stay off the roads unless it is absolutely necessary that you drive." i.e. You're in labor and need to get to the hospital.

Then they say, "Hoover mayor Tony Petelos has ordered that all Hoover Police and emergency responders only respond to wrecks with injuries." This is because it's TOO DANGEROUS FOR POLICE WITH SNOW TIRES WHO HAVE BEEN TRAINED TO DRIVE PROFESSIONALLY to be out on the road.

Yet, there are people on the road...

One newscaster is literally standing in the middle of Greensprings Highway (because it's dead) telling people not to drive and that it's pure ice on the road. Some idiot in a Taurus drives by, slows down, rolls down the window, and waves at the camera. WHERE IS HE GOING?!?!?!?

People are stupid.

Speaking of stupid, two of my very best friends came to visit me this weekend. Lauren and Racheal were my roommates in Tuscaloosa. We never have fun.

I was so excited to see my girls. We have that weird relationship that, if you are watching from the outside, you would think there was something wrong with us. We speak in weird voices and have ridiculous inside jokes. Did I mention we are LOUD? It gets especially worse when our friend Caine joins in. Out of control.

I'm glad they came to see me. We will do this way more often.

So, the National Championship is tonight. I'm going to be cheering for Auburn.

Yes, I will be cheering for Auburn.

I feel like I should cheer for my conference even if my team's not in it. I'm really fed up with these "Roll Duck Roll" Bama fans. Grow up.

A. It's a football game, not life or death.

B. You are claiming that you want a PAC-10 team to beat an SEC team. You would not be acting like this if it were South Carolina.

C. If Auburn wins, Alabama would be the only state in football history to have two different schools win back to back National Championships. How cool is that?

D. If Auburn loses, they would be the only SEC school to ever lose the National Championship game since the inception of the BCS.

I feel really bad for the Auburn fans stuck at the airport this morning. Again, on the news today, they were saying that flights out of Birmingham from yesterday afternoon and today have all been cancelled, and any re-route flights would probably not get in the air until after 3:00 or 4:00 this afternoon, which means by the time they touched down (no pun intended) in Glendale, the game would be half-way over. I would be PISSED if I had spent that much money on tickets and couldn't get out of the state.

Oh well. Hubby and Charlotte are still asleep. We are going to enjoy this snowed in day.

Random Trivia Fact: 70 percent of deaths during winter storms are automobile accidents. The rest are attributed to heart attacks during snow shoveling and hypothermia/overexposure. Guess I'll hang my shovel up today.

Let's Get Physical

I don't believe in New Year's Resolutions.

Why? Because they never last.

People always resolve to do things that are way out of reach.

Stop smoking.

Lose weight.

Eat healthier.

Save money.

Drink less.

How about narrowing those down a little bit, buddy?

Yesterday, I had a revelation.

I need to resolve to do these things every day. (Not the stop smoking thing. I don't smoke.)

Ben and I need to be socking away some cash. We all need to eat a little healthier and there are those pesky 10 pounds around the middle that I just can't seem to shake.

So, I texted Ben yesterday and asked if I could join the gym with him.

His first reaction was, "WHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTTT??????"

He has never in 4 years seen me do any exercise. I typically don't like it. I feel like it's a waste of time and I could be spending my time doing other things that I actually enjoy.

His second, much sweeter reaction was, "I like the way you are. You look great. Did I say something to make you think you need to lose weight?"

My sweet, sweet husband. He has never said anything to make me feel like I needed to lose a few. He tells me every day that I am beautiful and when my clothes look good on me.

I had just noticed in a few pictures that my arms are not nearly as defined as I want them to be. I have belly flab that I just want to disappear so I don't have to hide it any more. And I just want to feel GOOD all the time. Stop being tired and restless. I recognize that I am not fat. I just want to tone it up a bit.

So, we went to the gym together last night.

First, I surprised him with my "gym outfit." I have a great cut-off 80s sweatshirt that I threw on over a sports bra with matching cut-off sweatpants. Then, I added rainbow leg warmers and a baby-blue visor. I completed my outift with a ponytail on top of my head and giant water bottle.

He walked in and said, "I am NOT going with you."

I had to change. (Total joke. I would never wear that in public.)

I was super nervous about being in the gym again. I haven't been to the gym in over 5 years. I am WAY out of shape. Ben calmed my fears by telling me all about the gym so I wouldn't walk in wide-eyed like I was at Disney World. :)

I chose the elliptical machine, put my earphones in, and got to work. Ben hopped on the treadmill in front of me and started RUNNING. He's WAY more in shape than me. In the time he did three miles, I did two. But hey, TWO MILES is pretty stinkin awesome for someone as out of shape as me!

Then, he started doing ab work. I did some arm stuff on the circuit training machines.

Not gonna lie, I felt like a complete goob. I always feel like people are looking at me while I do this sort of thing and that I'm doing it wrong and that they're making fun of me for doing it wrong.

But seriously, how many ways can I do the bicep curl machine wrong? There are pictures on the machine.

Which made me feel even more like a goob because I had to look at the picture to see exactly what I was supposed to be doing. Sigh.

I felt GREAT when we finished. I was energized and happy, though I had crazy sea legs from the elliptical. I'm just a little sore today, mostly because I've been sitting for most of the day. I did force myself to wear heels to work. Flats would be too easy.

I could get used to this.

Random Blog Post Fact: I did not supply pictures with this post because my husband would have SHOT me if I had brought my camera to the gym. But I looked a hot mess when we finished. And my husband? Well, he just looked HOTT. :)