To Round Rock and Back Again.

Round Rock Barbecue

"I love you to the Moon and Back again."

"I love you to Round Rock and Back again."

The first saying is from Grandma Salas.  When the kids were very little, they would frequently visit her house where she would read wonderful stories to the kids.  Her famous quote as they departed her home was, "I love you to the Moon and Back again."  

The second quote was from my husband David who told this to me Saturday as I made my 10 mile mark in Round Rock.  And yes, I did have to go back another 10 miles.

End of the trail

At that point I wanted to call him to pick me up.  I looked at the text he sent me which said, "You're Crazy!!" and "You can do it!" As I ended the trail, I came across some unfamiliar surroundings.  The most miles I've ran have been around 14 miles, almost ran 15 miles on my birthday in August. 20 miles was always my goal.  It sounded crazy because I have no intention on running a marathon, or in fact a half marathon.  So, maybe all those years of running prepared me for this. Or did it?  When I came across the rail road tracks near the Gumbos in Round Rock, I was reminded of an old friend.  My friend Yoli who died in a murder-suicide.  I miss her dearly.  I prayed and asked God to seek me the rest of the way through.  With every foot that pounded that pavement, I was reminded of all the struggles I've faced in my life. There were times in my life when I didn't want to continue the journey, where all I wanted to do was just lay in bed and forget about the world.  There were times when I wanted to give up on David and his treatments.  And all the times I just wanted to quit everything.  I listened to the enemy who told me lies about my self-image. They cut to the core of me, they questioned everything the Lord had given me.  In those times when the enemy whispered lies to me in one ear, in the other ear, God would tell me how he loved me and that he was proud of me.  That is when I realized that I can overcome anything with God by my side. 

So, off I went, to run 20 miles because I knew the Lord would seek me through.  It reminded me that in life we will have struggles, we will have disappointments and times when we think we can go no longer. 

We are stronger than we think.  

John 16:33
I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”

We can overcome the world too. 

End of the Trail path. 

Let this New Year bring you Many Blessings!!! Happy New Year to Yours from Mine. 

Until Next Time,

Eat Organic,

Eat Gluten-Free,

Run.

Jennifer

Tis the Season to be Jolly!!!

Our not so Perfect Christmas Picture

Deck the halls with boughs of holly, 

Fa la la la la, la la la la.

Tis the season to be jolly, 

Fa la la la la, la la la la.

Emily can just about hum every Christmas song that comes on Pandora.  For two whole months, beginning after Thanksgiving, we play a continous stream of Christmas music.  If you want to get in the Christmas mood, then come over to the Salas Family.  We sing, we dance, we are in the season of happiness.  But wait, aren't we suppose to be happy all the time?  Of course silly, happiness if a gift. It is to be cherished by the Giver.  He gives freely to those who ask of it.  What makes Christmas "extra" special is that we get to celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus.  The Salas Family loves Birthdays.  We especially love birthdays because of the gifts we receive.  My birthdays in particular involve me running some crazy miles. 

So, are you enjoying this season of Jesus' Birthday or are you grumpy, stressed or just plain tired of all this Christmas business?  This weekend indeed will be crazy.  It will involve lots of heartaches and grumpiness but just think about the real reason why we celebrate Christmas.   

Jesus

Our Church service this past Sunday left me with a peace that showed this heart of mine why we make such a big deal about Christmas.  And even more so, the events that happened this past week has lead me to believe that Jesus is the solution to the world's problems.  You see, Jesus was born to a virgin, Mary, was conceived by the Holy Spirit, was born in a manger and later on was crucified for the sin of mankind.   

Mary

She gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger. Luke 2:7

December 25th is coming soon, don't let this day be the only day you celebrate the "Christmas" season.  Rejoice in Jesus, our Savior who was God's gift to mankind.  If your only reason for celebrating Christmas is to receive or give gifts, then now is the time to read the Bible to find out who this baby who was born to a virgin meant to the world.  The story can be found in all the four gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.  

Until Next Time, Merry Christmas, May the Love of Jesus fill your hearts forever.  

Jesus is the reason for the season.  

Since David wasn't in our Christmas picture,

I thought I'd share with you a little of his craziness.

Dancing  Beard

Love, 

The Salas Family

All I want for Christmas

All I want for Christmas is a new mixer.  Seriously. Look at it. It's bright and shiny. It's new.  It smells of newness.

My Costco trip this week caused me to do some looking for Christmas.  The isles were filled with books, clothes, games and every neat gadget, computer you could ever want.

And yes, they make it so easy for you to just grab and go.  That's why I love shopping at Costco.  No waiting in long lines for something. Just go out to the open floor and grab what you need.
And there's nothing I need. Nothing I want.
I would love to have a new mixer, but my old Kitchen Aid mixer works fine. Problem is that it isn't new and it isn't shiny anymore.

Every year the kids write down long lists of things they want for Christmas.  This year I made it easy and printed a cute template where they could write all the things they wanted for Christmas.  This gives me an idea of what to buy them.

Here are a few below:

David's List:

Parts for Telescope

Red Fender Guitar Fixed

Stereo with surround sound to go 

with our projector

New turntable for albums

Zachary's List:

Wii U with Wii U Zombi

or Assassins Creed

Lego Halo

D.J's List

Long Board

TV

Good Headphones

Driving License

Dumbbells

Love (Family Togetherness)

Emily's List

Red Dead Redemption Game

(Year Edition)

I Pad

Dream Lights Pillow

Beanie Babies

Headphones

Drawing Pad and Pencils

Epic Mickey The Power of Two

Lego Gold Mine

Flute

Glow Book

Nerf Bow

Red or Blue Bike

My List:

Nike Tights for Cold Weather

New Workout Headphones

Books

Pens 

Candy 

Aprons for Cooking

Emily's list as you can see is the longest.  

D.J. added Love to his list, Family Togetherness as one of his gifts from Santa.  He's a teenager, so I have made it my goal to give him some EXTRA Love.   Oh, its so easy to get mad at teenagers.  Especially when they exceed their data plan on their I-Phone listening to Pandora radio or telling you that the $30.00 protein powder you were so determined was the right one, wasn't the right one.   So, you see, it takes a lot of guidance from the Lord to follow his command,"Love One Another as I have Loved you. "

I won't have to buy Love this Christmas.  I never have. I never will. It's free.  Just ask the Lord.  He gives out plenty of it.  He is the Giver of Love, not Santa. 

And when D.J. added it to his list, it made me even more determined to show the kid's more Love.  You see, all these gifts are things we want. Things we would like to have.  But, I can tell you that if I didn't receive the things I asked for I would be okay.  As long as I have Love from my family.  

Family Togetherness as D.J. wrote, then I wouldn't be disappointed. 

Christmas isn't about what we can receive. 

Christmas is about what we can give to others.  

And the best gifts in life are free, like Hugs, Smiles and most importantly, LOVE.   

Make it your goal to show some Extra Love this Holiday Season. 

Until Next Time, 

Eat Organic,

Eat Gluten-Free, 

Show more Love, 

Jennifer

The Missing Ingredient

This week Chili was on the menu.  And of course, as always, cornbread goes right along with the chili.  It's perfect for dipping in that big bowl of chili. All fluffy, buttery and so sinfully good.

As I prepared my ingredients, I was a bit tired, worn out from our busy home school day and the last thing on my mind was to sit down and relax. It was 6 pm and there I went into the kitchen.  Okay, there's the milk, Grab that.  Oh, the eggs, grab that too. Cornmeal check.  Salt check. Everything blended right in. A mixing it will go.
10 minutes into cooking it, I noticed something was wrong with my cornbread. It never rose.  15 minutes later. Nope.  After it was done it looked like you could throw them as a frisbie. The kids were not too kind either.  I went back to the ingredients on my list.  I forgot the baking powder.  Just one little thing.  I was so upset.  We did eat the cornbread. It tasted fine. It was just the way it looked.  It wasn't my award-winning (In my head), "Mom, you're the best" comment day for cornbread.  I didn't get any praises this time around.

That brings me to my next award-winning (In my head), best tasting Pumpkin Bread.  Every year I make a loaf of pumpkin bread.  This year I really wanted to make a big pumpkin loaf that tasted amazing.
Again, I was tired after a busy day.  Our dryer is out of order and we've been making frequent trips to the laundry mat.  I wanted to end our night with a treat for the kids.  I always pat myself on the back for always having every single ingredient needed to make just about any sweet.  Ginger. Check. Nutmeg. Check. Pumpkin. Check. I had two cans.  Yay!!! So, I thought I put the cinnamon in. Nope. Forgot that one.  1/2 cup of milk.
 I added 1 cup.

It took a little longer to cook.  It wasn't the best tasting pumpkin bread I've made, but it will get eaten tomorrow by a pack of wolves.

Let's see if they notice the difference.  

So, I guess you can contribute my missing ingredient to my tiredness.  But what happens when we truly miss that one ingredient (thing) in our lives?  The one ingredient, I mean,  the one person who gives us flavor (life). No big deal you might say.  One missing ingredient doesn't necessarily mess up the whole recipe.  Or does it?  What about my cornbread?  It didn't look all fluffy. It was flat.  It looked hopeless.  Lifeless, flat and missing Baking Powder?

The Missing Ingredient?

Well, you can say that next time I won't forget those important ingredients. I can remind myself next time not to make the same mistake I once did.  You see, following a recipe is simple enough. All you have to do is read the list and follow.  What about following the Lord?  Is it as simple as following a recipe?  What's included in that recipe? Does it have flavor?  Is it made with Love?

God's Recipe for a Long Life
Love
Faith 
Hope

There are many times in my life when I begin to doubt the Lord.  I tend not to want to Love others when they  hurt me or say mean things to me. I begin to lose faith when things don't go my way.  This kind of behavior only leads me to miss out on the real blessings in my life. 

My Family, My Job, My friends, My Talents.

When we continue to miss out on one of these ingredients, we grow bitter and cold. Lifeless.  Flat. Just like my cornbread.  We just keep on missing that ingredient. It just becomes a habit.  Luckily, just like remembering to add Baking Powder to my Cornbread and Cinnamon to my Pumpkin Bread, we too, can correct those mistakes and add those ingredients back into our lives.  It might take some time to remember, but the Lord gives up a Recipe Book.  It's called The Bible.  It's filled with all sorts of recipes for a long, rich, and fulfilling life.  

Pick one up for yourself. 

Found at Major Book Retailers and Christian Bookstores. 

Oh, and maybe you can find one on your old book shelf or pilled high somewhere to be discovered.  Or maybe, it sits in plain sight on your coffee table being read everyday.   

I'll leave you with one of my favorite verses from my Recipe Book. 

1 Corinthians 13:1-8

 If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don't love, I'm nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate. 2 If I speak God's Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, "Jump," and it jumps, but I don't love, I'm nothing. 3 If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don't love, I've gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I'm bankrupt without love. 4 Love never gives up. Love cares more for others than for self. Love doesn't want what it doesn't have. Love doesn't strut, Doesn't have a swelled head, 5 Doesn't force itself on others, Isn't always "me first," Doesn't fly off the handle, Doesn't keep score of the sins of others, 6 Doesn't revel when others grovel, Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,7 Puts up with anything, Trusts God always, Always looks for the best, Never looks back, But keeps going to the end. 8 Love never dies. 

1 Corinthians 1-8

Happy Thanksgiving!

Jennifer Salas

Five Fun Things Friday

Excited to be done!

We finally finished Ginger Pye.  

It took me a month to finish, but I did it!!!

One of the fun things we did over the summer was the Book Club at Leander Public Library.  The kids had a list of books to choose from, they would read the book, come back on the assigned day to be discussed and then on to the next book.   During our adventure here we encountered the Mysterious Benedict Society Books.  For the first time in years, I actually sat down and read a book.  Even after working a 12 hour shift, the kids would beg for me to read to them.  We finished the first book and are now on the 2nd.  This inspired me to create our own Monthly Book Club.  

Over the summer I chose books I thought the kids would like according to their reviews and their age level.  Every month we would read a new book and then I would have the kids do a book report. 

 First in our series was Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh

Second in our series was Ginger Pye (We just finished our book report today)

Third in our series will be Treasure Island. And the list goes on.  

What I've learned doing this is that it's Fun reading Children's Books.  I remember as a young child, I would immerse myself in books.  I even volunteered at a young age at our public library where I grew up.  

Books are to be treasured. Always. 

So, let's get down to our Five Fun Things we are doing today.

1.  Book Report on Ginger Pye. As I'm writing this, we already finished our Book reports and our discussion of the book.

2. Running.  Of course. But I didn't want to list this first because my first fun thing to do today was our Book Report.  I ran 9 miles today. Planned on 7 but felt good to run. 

3.  David gets his BIPAP machine today.  After two years on a CPAP with no improvement, he's getting a BIPAP.  Yay  for sleep!!!!

4. I'm sending my first JennieBand to France.  My fellow daily miler Levi is going to try out my new Reflective Bands. How awesome is that?  Beyond words!!

5. D.J's Football game.  He played so well last week.  They haven't lost a game yet.  Way to go Lions!!!

Until Next Time, 

Eat Organic!!

Eat Gluten-Free!!!

Jennifer

Five Fun Things Friday

It's not fun sewing if your not wearing your hair turban. Ha!! I just showered and I'm letting my hair dry.

So, Here's the start of my Five Fun Things Friday.


1.  Ran 7 awesome miles.  I ran the new route I found the other day where I encountered many dead animals.  This time I found 4 miles of grassy, soggy trail.  Challenging, but fun.  I managed to stay safe on the road. I wore my Jennie Reflective Band and I pretty much wear bright yellow when I'm road running.







2.  Sewing!!!  I have a tax permit now so I can start selling my JennieBands at Markets and Craft shows.  Yay!!!  Going to do the Naty Market in Round Rock. Haven't decided on a day yet but I'm planning either Friday or Saturday. I'll keep you posted so you can come check out my booth.

3.  Taking the kids to the park for some fun.  After we finish Science, History and Latin today we will be going out to Brushy Creek for some more Tree Climbing.

4.  D.J's Football game is tonight.  His last game was somewhere far away so we didn't go. Today's game is here so we are definitely going. Gotta support my football player.

5. Food that Satisfies My Soul.
Coffee. Popcorn. Pickles. Nachos. Bearded Brothers bar and Chocolate.

Hope you Have Five, Fun things to do today. 

 If it's just one, that's okay, make it Super Fun!!!

Until Next Time, 
Eat Organic
Eat Gluten-Free, 

Jennifer

Running the Good Race

Last night we celebrated D.J's 16th Birthday. 

I wondered today why I don't have the motivation to run.  I promised myself I would blog about my Run for the Water, a 10 mile run I did last Sunday, but I simply was exhausted that week.  D.J., my oldest was in pure shock when I woke him up at 5 in the morning to get ready for our trip to downtown Austin where we would run. He did the 5 k.
 I ran the 10 miles.  There were over 4,000 people there and I was just a little ant in the crowd.  I did manage to get up to the start line.  As I reflect back on race day, I'm sure the "fast" runners thought I was some crazy woman.  I was up there with Betty who finished her 10 miles in 58 minutes.  She was wearing a bra and some really short shorts. I felt sorry for her, it was 48 degrees, but little did I know that she needed to wear nothing so she could fly like the wind.  Overall, the race was fun and I look forward to many more with my Football Player.

So, why no motivation?  A coworker of mine did the Dallas Triathlon on Saturday, a day before my run.  She told me how she has to do something big because it motivates her to train.  Her words were encouragement for me this morning when I didn't want to get out of bed.  So now I understand, that's why people race.  They race so they have the motivation to train.  Okay, I thought to myself. I've been running for the past 7 years. Running for Joy. Running to get away from the world. Running to pray.  This has motivated me everyday. 

But what happens when I'm happy and life seems to be okay for me?  What happens when I don't need to get out of the house and pray, but I decide to sit comfortably on my couch and pray. What happens when I don't need to get away from the world, but to just face it straight on?  

Well, It's Simple.  I keep Running.  I keep going. I keep running the race.  My Race isn't fancy. It's not filled with prizes at the end. And I don't get a medal or award when I'm done.  It's facing each day, running through the hurt and running through the joyous moments. Sometimes it's a slow run. Other times it's a fast run.  

So as a follower of Christ, I will be running the good race. I will run with endurance. I will run with the hope that one day I will be able to take part in the great feast that God has prepared for me in Heaven. And maybe there will be a prize waiting for me.   Just maybe, if I keep going.  Keep running. Keep Smiling. And most of all to keep Loving no matter what. 

2 Timothy 4:7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 

Hebrews 12:1 - Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. 

Galatians 5:7 You were running a good race. Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth?

David runs the Race Everyday.
He suffers from an autoimmune disorder.
This man Runs the Race with so much Love
that he makes me feel like the luckiest
Woman on this Earth.

Are you running the race?  I need some motivation, so why not run with me?  I promise it will make you Smile!!!

Until Next Time, 

Eat Organic!

Eat Gluten-Free!

Jennifer

Dig Deep

I saw this man. He was tall, strong and had a great sense of pride when you looked at him.

As I walked in this unfamiliar place I felt like I didn't belong there.  What was I doing I told myself.  It took you an hour to get here and then you work Saturday and the run is the next day. Your going to be tired.  Why did you sign up for this run?

The competitiveness then sank in my soul, then my confidence was destroyed.  I managed to look around the shop, find my way to the booth to where I would pick up my packet and then headed over to look at the shops merchandise.

There was Gilbert.  I didn't know who this Gilbert was or what he went through.  Somewhere online I saw a video of him and a group of  Burundi children walking to get water.  No shoes. They would walk several miles each day to get contaminated water for their families.  It made me cry.  As a mother you would feel the same way.  I couldn't imagine my little Emily walking miles to get us water.  And not clean water so it would be worth the effort, but dirty water filled with bacteria that the kids often get sick and die.  My entry into the race guaranteed one Burundi person with clean water.  They dig wells. We run.  It's called Run For the Water and is hosted by the Gazelle Foundation.  Easy enough. I do 10 miles all the time.  Racing has never been a competition for me.  I run to Live. I run to Pray. 

 Every ounce of my soul wanted to meet this person.  I even asked the volunteer there as I pointed to him if that was indeed Gilbert.  Of course I knew it was him.  My boldness shrunk, I felt so intimidated, so mundane compared to this magnificent person.  I rehearsed in my head what I would say to him.  It went something corny like, I think your doing a wonderful job.  I even thought about sharing my faith with him.  Little did I know, he is a devout Christian. God tugged at my heart several times, but I failed to approach him.  Till this day, I'm still disappointed in myself.   I think  it might not have mattered what I had to say that day, but I do know that tomorrow that my presence alone says it all.

"For I will gather you up from all the nations and bring you home again to your land." Ezekiel 36:24

I did a little research and found out Gilbert wrote a book about the Genocide he survived (in fact he was the only one to survive).  I won't go into detail about what happened.  You can read it for yourself.

Pick up a copy of his book at Amazon.com, I know I'm going to .

Until Next Time,
Eat Organic!
Eat Gluten-Free!

Jennifer  ( I will be eating Pizza and Whataburger Tacitos tomorrow. Yummy!!!!)

A Tree Climbing Kinda Day

Waited till 5:30 am to get the "Cancel you for today" phone call.  I was told yesterday my nursing services were not needed, so at least I was prepared.  They tell you this and then say, "Well, we can't actually cancel you before 5 am." This is just in case they get call ins.  But nope, no call ins. Just cancelled for the day.

So, What's a Girl to do?

Not in the mood to run at 5:30am.  I took a beating at work yesterday. Heavy, demanding patients with very little help.  Frustrating? Yup!!
Frustrating as it seems I still give my patients hugs and tell them that they are not a bother.  It bothers me when I go in to help them and they say, "Honey, I don't want to be a bother."  No Mam I reply, you are not a bother, this is my job and I'm here to help you get better.  I guess they see us running around like chickens with our heads chopped off.  100 mph we go for 12 hours straight, taking care of patients, bathing them, feeding them, giving them their medications and attending to their every need.  Which believe me, is more than you can handle sometimes.  I pray every minute of my day for the Love of Christ to enter my heart. Sometimes I want to scream at the top of my lungs, but I save that when I'm in my car driving home. I tend to have a little Pity Party with a  Why me Lord? as I'm driving home.

So, What's a Girl to do?

• Give Up?
• Cry?
• Get Mad?
• Ask God Why Me?
• Have a Pity Party?

Give up?  Nope. If  your facing a difficult time with your job or career, Pray about it.  Maybe it's time for a change. I've been doing the same type of Nursing for over 5 years now. I've been a nurse for 12 years, almost half of my nursing career I've spent in rehab.  Time for a change? Maybe so. 

Cry?  Yes. I cry probably 2-3 times a week. There's nothing wrong with crying. I'm not depressed and I'm very happy with my life. Crying helps release our natural emotions that we tend to keep "bottled" up inside.  

Get Mad?  No. Not really, but we tend to get mad anyways. That's okay too. Just don't get mad in front of people or at other people. If your mad, walk away from the situation and pray. 

Ask God, Why me?  Not always. But out of frustration sometimes we tend to do this. Replace the "Why Me"? with "Why not me?"  We pray for blessing but when trials and tribulations come we want to dig our own graves.  It's time to take the hard situations in life and see them as something God is trying to work out in us.  Maybe it's to learn that we are not perfect and we need a Savior.  

Have a Pity Party?  Nope, instead have a "Tree Climbing Party." One where you get your whole family together to celebrate the day and go visit  a local park where you all try to climb trees. 

I felt alive today.  No Pity Party for me!!!

 Yoga Poses in the trees.
 If you haven't noticed, that's a JennieBand I have on.
 My new slogan, "You can do anything with a
 JennieBand on,
 Even Climb Trees!!!" Ha!! Ha!!!

Emily

DJ

Zachary

DJ and David

Until Next Time,

Eat Organic!!

Eat Gluten-Free!!

Jennifer

A New Heart

Emily never likes to Smile!!!  

Church was uplifting today.  Woke up with a desire for church and no desire to run.

Again, I missed my 10 mile run.  I'm still trying to get back on track.  I learned last week that schedules are unnecessary for homeschooling and that I don't have to do everything at the exact time every single day.  It was fun doing things when we felt like it. Now, we still did all our 7 subjects, but we did them sporadically throughout the day.  #1, I was sick and #2, the kids loved it!
 Kinda gets boring after a while doing Math at exactly 10:30 am everyday.
 So, as I struggled to get moving last week after being in bed for 6 plus days, I learned that I need to take life less seriously. I need to just sit back and relax.

 Have a little more faith.  

We worry. We stress. We accomplish too much with so little time.  We try on our own.  We set out to conquer. 

 Kinda reminds me of the Roman Empire.  But then again, we just studied about the Great Wall of China and it's first ruler who wanted it all, even in death.  Also reminds me of Prince Siddhartha who formed the basis of Buddhism.   
 So, it just confirms that we as human beings want more.  

• We want to be Successful.  
• We want to be Loved. 
• We want to be Beautiful. 
• We want More
• We want More
• We want More. (Give me, give me, give me some more.(Black Flag))  

You see, in each culture, each person in history wanted to have a Purpose in Life.  Some went to great extremes as the kids and I learned with China.  They great ruler (Shi Huangdi), built the Great Wall of China to keep the monguls out.  All the monguls wanted was to have trade relations to stay alive, (the people were dying) but he (Shi Huangdi) wanted no association with the Monguls. He was too proud. Too stubborn.  Even in death he was buried with all the things he loved.  Things he possessed.  Even a heart of stone.

Prince Siddhartha on the other hand was given all the pleasures of this world.  He was forbidden to go outside by his parents who tried to keep him away from the seeing the sufferings of their world.   He had over 1,000 servants at his feet day and night.  One day he became curious of the outside world and begged his father to go outside.  During his encounter with the world he saw the sufferings of his people.  He felt sorrow and pain.  He went out into the wilderness to find peace and found that if we remove the need for desire, we ultimately will stop wanting.  He reached enlightenment and founded Buddhism.

In our search to be the Greatest, we miss out on our one true calling in Life.

You know the one where we excel in a particular field or career or opportunity.  We work more. We stress more. In the end we make life more complicated.  When Jesus spoke to the Teachers and the Pharisees, he explained that even with all the education they had, they missed the single most important thing in life.  They missed out on having Love in their hearts.  They had no compassion. No Love for God, but love for the Law.
My friend,  Love covers over a multitude of sins.  It gives us compassion.  It helps us to forgive. It gives us, most importantly, the opportunity to begin a true relationship with Jesus.

 No degree, no talent, not even having a bank account full of money will guarantee us happiness.   Man made religion teaches us to be good, give once in a while to others less fortunate than us and it says to be successful in everything.   

With God's religion, all that is required is to Believe.  Then comes Faith, then Love and ultimately we then have Hope. 

• Faith to believe Jesus is the son of God.
• Faith to believe that Jesus died for our Sins.
• Faith to believe God will work everything out for his purpose. (You see it says His Purpose, Not Ours) 
• Faith to believe that with God all things are possible. Not some things. But all things. 

Christianity is not about following any rules. It's about giving all our man made rules to God so that in return he can give us a new heart to follow him.

Ezekiel 36:26

I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you. I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. 

That's his promise. Believe it today. 

Until Next Time, 

Eat Gluten-Freee

Eat Organic!

Jennifer

Blah, blah, blah!

I promised myself I would wake up today feeling better. Just a little better than yesterday. This week, starting last Wednesday has been a pure black hole for me. I got sucked into getting the flu shot (no ones fault except myself) and then I disappointed a friend.
I just want to get better. Having flu like symptoms every day of your life is a curse. Or is it? David, my husband, wonderful, I should say lives with an autoimmune disease where he feels like he has the flu 24/7. Yup. He feels crappy 99% of the time, 1% of feeling good is used to to make me coffee every morning. I love him for this!!! As I cry every night since I've been sick, my cries are to the Lord to make me feel better. I need healing. I need prayer. One thing I realized is that I need to be more understanding with David. When you feel sick, you don't want to go anywhere. Your one piece of comfort is your bed. It's been mine for 6 days now. No running. No cooking. No work. Nothing. The only one thing I can continue is the kids school. That I can't stop even if I'm half dead explaining lessons. Ha!
Pray for me.

Until Next Time,
Eat Organic!!! (eat for me!!)
Eat Gluten-Free (cook for me!!!)
Jennifer

It's a JennieBand Kinda Day.

"Be still and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10

David, my husband, for the last 12+ years now knows that I can not be still.  First thing I do every morning when I'm off is I jump out of bed, put my running clothes on and out the door I go.  I never realized how distressed I look until one day I saw a reflection of myself in the window of the Starbucks that I usually stop at for a water refill.  My hair that day was a mess.  I looked like a crazy woman.  That's what people probably say when they see me running down the highway.

Picture this: 

I'm running with a chopstick in my hair.

I have a JennieBand on.

I jump around, dance, make arm movements to the song I'm listening to.

The other day I caught myself jumping and stopped because I was afraid I would fall.

Sometimes when I'm really praying and thanking God, I will stop and pray with my hands up in the air.  

People probably think I'm Nuts.  

Nope, this is not the way I look when I run. 

I'm not your typical runner.  I don't run for PR's, marathons or any sort of competition. I run for JOY. I run because God gave me legs that I may run. I run for Peace. Emily, my 8 year old says I don't run, I jog.  Running is faster. I'm not that fast.  So, I guess I'm a Jogger.  Ha!!!!

Today, I'm not running. It's a JennieBand kinda day.  I'll run later.  

New JennieBands!!!

I had someone ask me once if I made the bands myself. Of course, I responded. I wash, cut, measure, sew and package all of my JennieBands. 

Until Next Time, 

Eat Organic!
Eat Gluten-Free!

Jennifer

Hardships

Did I forget to mention to you that last week was a hard week for me?  I'm sure I mentioned it somewhere in my posts, especially on Facebook or Daily Mile.  Did I mention to you for the hundredth time that I had a busy, long, stressful week?  

Well, let me tell you once more,  I had a busy week last week were I worked over 65 hours.  No big deal you might say. Every once in a while we have to put in our own share of hard work and last week was mine.  My gift to society.  My gift to my patients who had me for 5 days.

So, as you all know in the wonderful world of nursing, we have the option to torture our bodies by working 12 hour shifts, 3 to 4 days a week.  I opted for 2 of those shifts once a week since the last 4 years of my nursing career I spent in Rehab taking a beating to my body and enduring long shifts that turned more into 14 hours instead of 12.  In order to keep my house in order and my kids educated, I decided to work only 2 days a week.  This has worked wonders for my family. Hubby is happy. Kids have more of me. More time to educate. More time to sew.

Fridays and Saturdays are my work days.  

My wonderful friend Melinda.
See, when I work with her
I'm Happy!!!! 

Lessons for the kids Sunday afternoon till Thursday, with Friday also being a school day with Daddy and Saturday being a Relaxation Day for reading.  

As for the last 6 months, I get up at 5am, get dressed (so easy with scrubs), put on my makeup, twist my hair into a bun, stick a chopstick in and head out the door.  I then make my daily stop to Starbucks and downtown I go. The day was Friday, I remember it clearly because instead of getting up at 5am, I got up at 4am and headed out to Wal-Mart (the only place open) and bought groceries for the kiddos. Milk, eggs, creamer, cereal, the basics.  This day I needed my coffee ASAP, so after dropping off the groceries I headed to Starbucks. By this time it was already 6am and I was in the drive-thru when I got the call that I was cancelled.  Yay!!! But, No, I'm ready to work.  Let me think straight, "Okay, you don't need me today?"  No was the answer and I soon found myself relieved.  Saturday was not much different except the grocery shopping part.  If I had to do that every single day before work, I'd be a Zombie.  Actually, I think my patients would hate me because I would be very cranky.  This time they didn't call me. I drove all the way downtown only to be cancelled again.  That was day #2.

Well, that's life!!!  I took it as a much deserved break.  Well, not for long. I worked Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, taught an Art class on Wednesday, home schooled the kids on Thursday and worked again Friday and Saturday and squeezed in a measly 6 miles of running.  Can you believe I had the audacity to set my alarm clock at 4am to run before work?  I don't know what I was thinking. I think maybe by that day I was a bit delirious. Ha!!!!

My beloved friend, Nurse Yoli
I miss your jokes, Your Smile.
You made your patients happy.
You are so dearly missed. 

So for 5 days I had the same wonderful patients. They made my week go by so fast.
They weren't cranky, bossy, narcotic happy or demanding.  And the best part was working with friends that helped me get through the day.  Cathy, my friend got me hooked on Starbucks latte drinks.  Talk about an energy boost at 5pm.  I so needed it.

The Lord told me it would be a busy week and I think I ignored his prompting.  I wasn't prepared.  But, I got through it with His help. You see, we all might have busy, stressful days, maybe even a week like I did (maybe even busier or more stressful than mine) but the Lord promises to never leave our side. When we love the Lord with all our Hearts, Souls and Minds we find peace in His presence, His word and His plan. 

 In my moments of silent prayers during my busy week, (even though I had sneak into the bathroom for peace, to look up my Bible verses on my IPhone, I still felt comforted). I found that the Lord has given me a great task to care for others.  Sometimes it might seem like a burden. Sometimes it feels like a chore.  And sometimes we just want to give up and go on to the next "Fun" task in our lives (mine is running on Sunday. Could you have guessed?  Ha!!!)

The Lord reminds me that the day I have in front of me is a day to give it (all) my best.  He tells me to give 100% even when I'm tired.  Even when I'm Hungry. Even when I haven't had a chance to get to my busy paperwork.

He tells me to be content in every situation. 
He tells me that He will get me through.  

I was reminded of a verse in 2 Corinthians 12:10

"That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."


"If I must boast, I will boast in the things that show my weaknesses."
2 Corinthians 11:30


Jennifer

On a more personal note, my friend Yoli (pictured above with me) was going through something in her life. I knew her from work, we worked together for about a year. We were considered twins.  Every time she was off I would get called "Yoli" all the time. I told people I didn't mind because she was so nice. Always smiling, she always made her patients feel so loved.  She was a joy!!! She would decorate the nurses station at work for every holiday. She was an animal lover and volunteered for Hurricane Katrina.  For some reason she was found dead alongside with her husband in their home. It was a big shock. They considered it a murder/suicide.  We'll never know what happened that day.  I miss her.  So, after she died, I promised the Lord that I would shine his Love to others more. That I wouldn't be ashamed to tell them that Jesus Loves them.  He does!!!  I would show others that there is Hope.  Even with all the stress we endure, we can find rest in Him. 

In Him alone.  

He loves us.  

No, You don't say, all He wants is Me?

Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him. Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken. 

Psalm 62: 1&2 NIV

• My refuge in times of confusion.
• My fortress when I need a shoulder to cry on.
• My rest when I'm tired from the worries of the world.

This week I've been trying to think about a good blog. One that was either going to talk about Gluten-free cooking or my Homeschooling day.  But, after much thought, the Lord had something better to share with you.  Something that took a revelation to reveal.  And today, after receiving my prayer shawl from my mother-in law.  I've wanted one for years.  I sat in my room, closed the door and prayed.

I'm learning to set aside time each day to  pray. 

When I became a christian there were days when all I would do was pray.  I would go into a quiet room, close the door and pray. Sometimes for hours.  My mother who just recently became a believer called me the other day saying, "Jen, I just started praying and praying and I couldn't stop, I think I prayed for an hour or more."  Remember, God's time is different.  There are times when I have prayed very much and it seemed like hours, but was truly minutes.  Our soul longs to be connected with the Lord.  

So, back to my revelation.  Do you remember how I set out to run 15 or 18 miles for my Birthday?  I wanted to run 20 miles actually but opted for 15 because you know, it's Texas and I would have ended up with a heat stroke.  Yikes!!! So, I decided to do 15 on the day of my birthday. Those plans quickly changed when I woke up at 9 or 10am (I don't remember) and it was probably already 100 degrees outside.  I decided to enjoy my day.  The next day I set out to run.  It was hard at first.  I got up super early. Packed a cooler with a recovery drink, electrolyte water and a banana.  My fuel belt was packed with electrolyte water and gel.  My mind was set. My heart wasn't.  

You see, My Heart was set on the desires of man.  To accomplish. To be better.  To feel better that I turned 33.  Yes, I did have good intentions.  I always pray during my runs. I prayed for my family and friends. But, my intention was to run and accomplish my goal of 15 miles.  14.86 miles completed and I felt like I always do after running, "Okay."  Before my run the Lord spoke to me, he said, "Now Jennifer, you don't have to run 15 miles to show your love for me."  After my run, he said, "Jennifer, I don't require sacrifice."  "I don't require that of you."  Okay, I thought, I didn't have to run but I wanted to.  

So what would happen if God judged me according to how many miles I ran?  What if all I could run that day was 3 miles? Would he be happy?  Would he require that I run 15 miles everyday to be his follower?  What about my Daily Mile?  It keeps track of how many runs I accomplish but does God care?  

The simple answer is Yes, No and No.  You see God doesn't care if I run 2, 3 or 10 miles.  He doesn't care about all the bad things I did or continue to do. In fact, our sins are erased when we come to a full knowledge of our mistakes, confess and ask God for forgiveness.  It requires asking.  Just that. So simple.  

• God wants me, the way I am.  The way I look. Flaws and all.  He just wants me.
• God doesn't require sacrifice. Again, Jesus died for us. He did not spare him but gave him over to death.  
• God wants me, just me.  Did I say that again?  Yes, Just Me.  

I think sometimes it's hard to comprehend that God just wants us. He doesn't care where we live, what we live in, what kind of car we drive, the food we eat or how many miles  we can run.  All he wants is us.  How could a God so great just want us?  My friend, its so simple .  My revelation was that God just wants me, "Jennifer", faults and all.  

If God wanted me to run 15 miles everyday, I'm telling you, I would have given up on his standards a long time ago.  I don't think I would still be a follower because I do slack some days, as you all know, running is hard. Okay, I said it. It's hard.  And God doesn't require that of me, or anyone.  He just want's me to come to him and seek rest.  Because, 

God is GREAT!

God is LOVE!

Give him a try, he doesn't bite and He loves to give you words of encouragement everyday.  

(BTW:  I do hold dearly to Philippians 4:13. I run not to compete with the world with races and such.  I run to keep my faith strong in the Lord.  I run to think. I run to hurt. I run to heal.  Just as running is hard and demanding on the body, so is this world and I find peace in knowing that my suffering is producing in me my true faith where I can stand in the day of trails and tribulations.  My journey with running started due to my husbands illness many years ago. Running is where I truly found peace away from the world. (I have a blog listed here, I think it's the first one I've written). 

So, in essence, running is peace for me. But, I do need to slow down and that is where God shows me that all he needs is Me. Just me to come to him and quietly shut the door to pray.
I pray you do the same. )

Until next time, 

Eat Organic!

Eat Gluten-Free!

Jennifer

B-Day Run

D.J's motivational drawing on the cooler I recieved

Mama, Wake up, Mama, wake up, you gotta get up for your run!

I'm sleeping I responded. Let me sleep. 

Sleep I did. Till 9am.  My run was scheduled for 6am.

Poor D.J.  His first day of school is today and he encouraged me to run 18, not 15.

15 is what I decided I would do. Last year for the first time, I ran 10 miles.  This was after finding out that the Mighty Fine Hamburger I ate was way beyond my calorie consumption and it would take 10 miles to get rid of. Thanks to my friend Marlene, who is a long distance runner, she pointed this out.  So, the next day I set out, ran 10 miles straight.  After that day I was hooked on long distance running.

Due to my time restraints, I can't run long distance more than once a week.  Sundays are considered my long distance run days because I can run for 2 hours without having to be at home in a hurry for lessons for the kids.
Today was going to be a 15, maybe an 18 mile run.  I was ready. Mentally prepared.

 Below are some of the reasons why I wanted to run a 15 or 18 mile run on my B-Day

• To Give God Thanks for My Life
• To Challenge Myself
• To be reminded that in Philippians 4:13, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthen me."
• To be able to eat all the B-Day cake I can without worrying about the calories (Nah, not really!!!)
• To Feel Alive!!!!!

Everything I have in my life is from the Father Above. Everything.  

David joked with me the other day, he stated that he was stressed about my B-Day because I have everything.  Socks I have. Garmin, just acquired.  New running shoes, I have 2 (Mizunos sent me an extra pair).  Running belt, check.  Purses, I have.  Clothes, I'm set (I make my own skirts and shop only every 2 years for pants and shirts).  Shoes, Just got a free pair of Toms a couple of weeks ago.  

I found this waiting for me.

Contents inside:  Card, Body Glide,
Running Gels and Off Spray 

You see, I have EVERYTHING!!!!!!  But there is one thing I do have that I hold more precious than all my material things and that my friend is JESUS.  

It says in the book of Matthew that we shouldn't worry about these material things.  It says that we shouldn't even worry about what we eat or drink or what we should wear. That Solomon in all his glory wasn't dressed as beautiful as the lilies of the fields.  God gives me everything I need.

So, as I celebrate my B-Day today, I give God thanks for my life. Tomorrow I will run, I will run like the wind.  I will run like Forest did in the Forest Gump movie (we saw the movie last night)

I will enjoy my day. 

I also want to say that my husband is Awesome.  He got the lead singer from Mewithoutyou to send me a B-Day greeting. It's posted on my Facebook page. Facebook.com/jenniesews.com

I love you David!

I love you D.J!

I love you Zachary!

I love you Emily!

I love you Nibbler!

And most importantly, I love You Mom, thank you for giving me Life!

Running Gear
Don't worry, I'll be using you tomorrow.  

Below are some pictures of the drawings each of the kids drew on my Cooler.  

Zachary's

 Emily's

Contents inside the Cooler

David's (of course)

Until Next Time,

Eat Gluten Free (I won't today)

Eat Organic (I hope today I will be)