Life Lately: October Edition

I often find myself having to post "Life Lately" posts on this blog to play catch up. The past two weeks have been relatively hectic. Hectic is apparently my normal state, but at least it keeps life interesting.

Here is a photo breakdown of our life lately.

I was blessed to be invited by some friends to join them for a hospitality conference. We had an amazing time! The Lord really used that conference to prepare me for some things that would be coming up in the weeks following. 

IllumiNATION Radio had a very special guest in studio one Monday night. The Dude joined us to talk all things Christian rock...and to play games on momma's tablet in the corner. 

My beautiful momma had knee replacement surgery two weeks ago. She'll be back to doing high kicks like a Rockette in no time! I gained a new appreciation for nurses and caretakers during those two weeks. More on my adventures in housekeeping coming soon!

It's Fall Fest time! This year, Halloween found our family at 3! Fall Festivals. We had a great time at each of them. The Dude went as an "Army Man" to all 3. His costume included a very realistic looking bazooka thanks to his PaPa. Thanks to a little search on Google we found an idea of a way we could incorporate rock music into our Trunk or Treat decor. We played some rockin' tunes, handed out lots of candy...and at the end of the night The Dude decided that he would like to add a neck collar and backboard to his costume with a quick trip in an ambulance to the ER. Praise the Lord, he was checked out and all is well! There is nothing like the power of prayer. 

That's our life lately. What have you been up to???

Is It Really September???

I can't believe that September is here. How did I miss the whole month of August without even posting one entry on here? Oh yeah that's right...the hubby and I produced a concert with 10 Christian rock bands, took a week off for a stay-cation in there somewhere, coordinated a blood drive, hosted a concert for 10 churches, attended an endless list of fall planning meetings, planned the fall semester of 1st grade for the Dude, and even went fishing in there somewhere...the list goes on and on.

Labor Day is here, and it's the official end of summer. It seems that even the oppressive 105+ degree temperatures may have gotten the hint that summer is done. 80 degree temps after 60+ days of temperatures over 100 seems like an Arctic blast.

Fall is one of my favorite times of year. I get nostalgic for school supplies (more like office supplies these days), walks to the park, and dates with my hubby (we started dating in the fall). It's a beautiful time of year. After what seems like the endless heat of summer, the weather breaks and it's like nature takes a deep breath. I'm excited about the cooler temps because I can spend more than 5 minutes at a time in the Community Garden, and I can actually start planting.

I guess it really is September.

The seasons are changing

Hello old friend. It's been awhile since I filled your pages with the details that make up a life. The seasons have changed, yet again. Now it is fall. The leaves are falling. The weather is delightful. There is just something about fall. Some people think that the start of a new year is the perfect time to start something new - new workout, new eating plan - but I think fall is the right time to begin something new. Perhaps I think like this because, like most people, I was trained from an early age that fall is when school starts. It's the time when a new phase of life begins.

I decided (after I saw my husband had started working out again)that it was time to start moving. Time to think about getting healthy again. I want to have this started before my least favorite season gets here. Winter. I need something that will energize me through the dark, chilly months of winter. It will keep me focused when all I will really want to do is curl up under the covers and sleep. I've often wondered if perhaps I am part bear. When it starts to get cold outside and the darkness overtakes the day earlier, I have this amazing desire to sleep, to hibernate under the covers. So I need something to give me energy, to fight my natural urge to hide away under the covers and sleep away the winter chill.

Finding a workout that suits me is the best cure. It will give me the strength and energy to conquer the day.I started last week with a short boot camp on Sparkpeople.com. Sparkpeople is an excellent resource for anyone looking to start a new fitness/wellness routine. The boot camp was just challenging enough to help me get a good start without feeling overwhelmed by starting something new. It also was a great jump start to getting me to want to add to my workout. To be honest, I've never been one who really enjoyed cardio equipment, and the Lord certainly didn't build me to be a runner. I have decided to go with what workouts naturally suit my personality - dance, yoga, weights, walking. If I do something that feels natural to me, then I feel like I'll be more likely to stick with it long term instead of trying to force myself into doing something that doesn't interest me.

My challenge will be in getting my workouts and my eating habits aligned. I typically find that I can do one or the other, but I can't do both when it comes to healthy eating or working out. I know it's two sides of the same coin. I just can't seem to get it balanced. Just gotta keep working on it, I guess.