He's Still Workin' on Me

       I'm not sure if it was in a choir or a special song with my family, but this morning I'm reminded of a song that I feel hits close to home right now in my life. 

"He's still working on me
To make me what I need to be
It took him just a week to make the moon and stars
The sun and the earth and Jupiter and Mars
How loving and patient He must be
'Cause He's still workin' on me"

       I'm so glad that the Lord is so patient and loving with me. So many things that I fear and struggle with I know are ridiculous but God is patiently growing me to who He wants me to be. Just this week I've noticed how I've grown in the last few years. Last night at a basketball game I went out and shot a free throw during half time. (People put names in a hat when they buy things from the snack bar and during half time those names get drawn and they can win things from the snack bar) Since I moved here every game I've gone to I've left the gym during half time due to fear of my name being drawn. Last night I didn't run away. I walked out there, took my shot, missed, and walked off the court not feeling embarrassed at all. 
       I realize this might not feel like a big deal to many people, but to me it is. I was kinda proud of myself. 
       I've noticed recently that I've grown a lot in my confidence. I'm worrying less about what others think and because of that life is much more enjoyable. Don't get me wrong there are still moments of feeling self-conscious. I'm just saying it isn't happening all the time. 
       In my growing self-confidence I'm growing louder. I'm not sure if that is a good thing or not. A few people have teased me recently about how loud I am. It didn't upset me or anything, just made me think. When I lived in California I was loud and social, but only with certain people. Since moving to Wisconsin it happens a lot more often. 
       Now, if only I'd feel less nervous around single guys my age. But if God has gotten me this far I know He'll get me there too. He's still workin' on me! 

Whole30 Update

      Well, I've been back on the Whole30 for a week and a half now and it is going SO well! This time around I've been cooking more than the other two times I went through my 30 days. I absolutely love the cookbook I purchased! The recipes are simple to do so far and all of them have been very tasty.

So far I've tried:

• Chicken Meatballs
• Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
• Greek Salad
• Roasted Spaghetti Squash
• Stuffed Bell Peppers
• Kitchen Sink Scramble

       The great thing is that each of these have made fantastic left-overs. The roasted red pepper sauce was good with the meatballs, backed potatoes, and scrambled or fried eggs. It was A-Mazing! I'm thinking I need to make it again soon. I wonder if I could freeze small amounts of it so that I have it on hand for longer. The recipe says it only keeps for 5 days. 

       Last night I made the stuffed bell peppers and used extra stuffing in my scrambled eggs this morning. The seasoning on the stuffing was really flavorful and added so much to my breakfast. 

       I'm going to make the meatballs again and double the recipe so I can freeze a batch of them for busy weeks when I don't have as much time to cook. 

       I don't think of myself as a great cook and honestly I think my biggest problem is laziness. I get home from work and just want something quick and easy so I can sit and relax. But this cookbook has gotten me excited about cooking and I'm loving the results of these recipes! 

       Coming up in the next week are pulled pork carnitas and grilled coconut curry chicken with cauliflower rice. If the cauliflower rice goes well I'm thinking it will become something I make often. It could go with a lot of meals! 

Whole30 Take 3

This weekend I'm starting my Whole30 eating plan. I've completed this eating plan once for 30 days and another time for around 15 days. The shorter one is because I caught a stomach bug and it just didn't happen after that. I was lucky to eat anything. 

Anyway...

I'm super excited to start eating healthy again. I bought this cookbook over Christmas break and I'm chomping at the bit to start it up! I have to wait until I can get to the right grocery store. My local grocery store is quite small and doesn't offer everything I need to get the ball rolling on my Whole30. I was planning out a few meals from this book last night and my stomach was growling. They looks so delicious! I'm excited to eat better and feel better as a result! Here's to making 2017 my healthiest year yet! 

Looking Back & Looking Forward

       2016 was an interesting year for me.  It ended with a bang with the birth of my new niece Bryndall, but other than that it was pretty uneventful. Is it weird that before Bryndall was born the highlight of my year was that my parents and I got my garage cleaned out so I could park my car in it?

       It was a year of change for me. Friends got married and moved away, I began to grow less satisfied with my church, grandma's dementia grew more severe, small friendships grew into bigger ones, I paid off one of my student loans, and I turned off my cable. Ha! That last one is a silly one, but I'm saving a bunch of money so it makes me happy and not having cable is a change.
       I honestly feel so blah about 2016 which makes me feel blah about 2017. I really think that the blah's are a result of my walk with the Lord. I've struggled at being consistent in my prayer life and personal study of God's Word. But not only that, I've spent a majority of the year in a church where I'm not consistently being fed. As of this week those things are going to change. I'm working at making my daily walk with the Lord more consistent and Sunday I'm going to start attending a new church in hopes of making that my new church home. I've been praying for a loooong time about going to this church, actually a new church in general, and I feel the most peace about going to this one. But I'll also be praying throughout the month to see if the Lord does want me to attend there.
       I'm ready to push myself out of these blahs. I'm ready to make 2017 great. It's time! I'm excited about the goals I've been thinking about for this new year. I try not to make too many goals for the year and I'm trying to make them realistic so that they are achievable.

• Read 25 books - I barely met my goal of 20 books for 2016. So adding 5 more books is a stretch, but I'm going to go for it! 
• Pay off a good chunk of my student loans. I've found ways to save money in some areas so I'm going to put that saved money toward my loans. Dave Ramsey, I'm going to snowball them!! 
• Eat right - My biggest enemy right now is my scale. I'm refusing to use it anymore. Instead I'm going to eat better and follow the Whole30 eating plan for longer periods of time and take care of my body. 
• Get moving - I have no excuse in this area. I own a treadmill. I need to use it! 
• Cross 2 things off my 40x40 list! - I have a ways to go on my list, it's time to get going! :) 

Ready or not, 2017, here I come!