Thankful~Psalm 147

1 Praise the LORD.
How good it is to sing praises to our God,
how pleasant and fitting to praise him!

2 The LORD builds up Jerusalem;
he gathers the exiles of Israel.

3 He heals the brokenhearted
and binds up their wounds.

4 He determines the number of the stars
and calls them each by name.

5 Great is our Lord and mighty in power;
his understanding has no limit.

6 The LORD sustains the humble
but casts the wicked to the ground.

7 Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving;
make music to our God on the harp.

8 He covers the sky with clouds;
he supplies the earth with rain
and makes grass grow on the hills.

9 He provides food for the cattle
and for the young ravens when they call.

10 His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse,
nor his delight in the legs of a man;

11 the LORD delights in those who fear him,
who put their hope in his unfailing love.

12 Extol the LORD, O Jerusalem;
praise your God, O Zion,

13 for he strengthens the bars of your gates
and blesses your people within you.

14 He grants peace to your borders
and satisfies you with the finest of wheat.

15 He sends his command to the earth;
his word runs swiftly.

16 He spreads the snow like wool
and scatters the frost like ashes.

17 He hurls down his hail like pebbles.
Who can withstand his icy blast?

18 He sends his word and melts them;
he stirs up his breezes, and the waters flow.

19 He has revealed his word to Jacob,
his laws and decrees to Israel.

20 He has done this for no other nation;
they do not know his laws.
Praise the LORD.

What more can I be thankful for than a God who loves me? I know I don't deserve anything, but my blessings are many in numbers. Eternal life through Jesus Christ. Hope. A Godly, hard-working husband that I can grow and learn with. A giant pup. A house. A job. Parents that loved and enabled me. A country in which I can worship freely. A lifestyle that I can do pretty much anything that I choose. Health. Good hair. Even if all of these earthly things vanished, I still have God. I still have hope in Him. I have eternal life, and for that I will praise the Lord and give thanks!

because we all need a laugh

These are some of my favorite websites to check out when I need to laugh. I'm sure most of you have seen these sites. Leave a comment if you know of any other funny (but not inappropriate) blogs!

Stuff Christians Like

Cake Wrecks

Awkward Family Photos

Unnecessary Quotes

heavy

As I promised, here is my weight-loss post. I must say that it grinds on my nerves when non-medical people give medical advice, and I'm sure (actually, I know, because I live with one) that most medical professionals won't agree with everything I say or do. Read at your own risk!

When we got married over three years ago, I guess I started getting lazy. Not lazy, I worked 45+ hours a week, went to school at night, and commuted two hours each day. I ate what I could, when I could. During the spring of 2007, I tried the Slim Fast diet for over two months. I was ALWAYS hungry (and ill, because I was so hungry) and I walked and ran, but I didn't lose any weight. I gave up. That fall, I hit the gym hard core and lost about ten pounds. The spring 2008 semester was much busier, and I didn't go to the gym that much, and when I did, I didn't push myself. I was also staying in Jasper, taking care of my mom during the week and my husband on the weekends. This went on for several months. I ate a lot of comfort foods, which caused weight gain. When mom went into the hospital in January 2009, we ate out three meals a day. We didn't have time or energy to cook. The stress and grief in the following months didn't help my weight, either. I blew up, quick. I ate whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted, without thought. I would justify my poor habits by saying it was just temporary, while I was grieving. Even the clothes I had recently bought weren't fitting. This summer, I was shopping and trying on clothes and I had bulges in places that I shouldn't. Nothing looked good on me. I didn't feel good. I was unhealthy. I looked unhealthy. I felt unhealthy.

I decided that day it was time for a lifestyle change. I haven't shared much, because I didn't want my failure to be public if it didn't go as planned. I am not a self-disciplined person. I want what I want. This type of personality leads to failure from the start when forced to diet. I knew that depriving myself of foods that I love was just going to make me more miserable and feel worse, but I knew I had to do something. I went and bought some vitamins. I take one Centrum Women's Health every day, along with two fiber capsules. I know that nutritional value is important. I also take my vitamins with food, so I don't vomit. I swapped to skim milk. I measure out my cereal according to the package directions. A portion of food is about the size of your palm. Yep. And I don't clean my plate. That is just ridiculous. Some things to think about...A SMALL order of french fries has 230 calories. Twelve ounces of juice has more sugar than a can of soda, and no nutritional value. I eat more fruit, either fresh or dried. I still eat dessert, just in much, much smaller portions. Chris and I split a lot of meals. I do cook a lot, so I plate our food, then store the rest to avoid the temptation to eat more. TheShubertFam doesn't really buy into the organic thing. I did A LOT of research when my mom was first diagnosed with cancer. "Organic" just doesn't make sense (and Chris agrees with me on this one). There is so much information on that I need to type a different post. However, I don't like preservatives. YUCK. If I can make it, I don't buy it. Salad dressings, sauces, anything. I try to not open packets. No Hamburger Helper, frozen dinners, or canned soups in my kitchen. I don't make my own chicken stock, but I use low-sodium so I can control the amount of salt. Before I eat something, I ask myself, "Does this have any nutritional value for my body?" I don't count my calories, because I think that can lead to obsession. I only weigh myself every few weeks. We don't even own a scale!!! I think that takes a lot of pressure off of me. Thursday night, Chris and I each ate a double cheeseburger (from The Oasis in Cottondale) that made my arteries clog up just from looking at it. But that's okay, because I don't eat like that every day, or even every week. It's all about balance, my friends. I have lost ten pounds since August. I am happy with my weight, but I still have to become healthier with some of my lifestyle habits! I still struggle with exercising consistently. I walk the dog regularly, which I know has helped. Now that I've lost weight, I jiggle in places that just shouldn't jiggle. I have also started spending more time reading the Bible. I have to contribute my weight loss to God. I have been prayerful and thoughtful about my body and taking care of it.

With all that being said, it has not been easy. I want to grow old with my husband (if that is God's will) and being overweight was interfering with that possibility. Being overweigh increases risks of diabetes, high blood pressure, cancer, high cholesterol, and those things lead to things like kidney and heart failure and strokes. No thank you, I don't want any of that. I also know that Dr. Hubby will trick, er, I mean talk me into having some kids in a few years. I want to be as healthy as possible when that time comes. My weight loss is NOT about looking a certain way (although I am pleased with my flatter tummy) or becoming a tri-athlete, it's about being healthier. God created me, and I need to take care of my body.

I know weight is a very sensitive topic for most people. I have struggled with body image issues for many years. I am not an expert. I am a (somewhat) normal person losing weight and keeping it off and getting healthier, and these are some things that have worked for me. I would appreciate your prayers as I continue on this journey!

a wish list

I've tried really, really hard to not think about the holidays. You know, it would probably induce a pity party or something. So instead, I am typing a meaningless post about some ridiculous stuff that I have my eyes on for my birthday or Christmas...Maybe Chris and my dad will take a hint :)

These shoes. Well, not that exact pair, a customized pair. With my initials. I don't even know if shoes that tone will work at all, but it sounds like a good idea. And some cute workout clothing to match my customized shoes.

This hair straightener. It was tested by Good Housekeeping and got great reviews for battling frizzies in humidity. Plus, it's so much cheaper than a Chi.

Some clothes from Anthropolgie. Sigh for Anthropologie. By the time I can afford to shop there, I will be too old and I will look like one of those mid-life crisis ladies that tries to dress like a twenty-something. I love looking though. Wouldn't this dress be perfect for a Christmas party?

A pair of black cowboy boots. I have some awesome camel colored ones that cost a small fortune (so does this pair) but boots are SO COMFORTABLE and a great pair never really goes out of style. I look at it as an investment rather than a sunk cost...

A beach house. Or a beach trip. Whatever, I'm not too picky.

This was fun to do! What's on your wish list?