Day 1 of 40. What Did We Just Sign Up For?!

Today is Day 1 of 40.

What if we did this for today?  But what if we did it for 40 days?!

{If you’ve heard my rant about this then scroll passed this to today’s account below the (*******) line}

Our goal for 40 days is to strengthen and nourish our spirit, soul and body.  Sounds so sophisticated and a little boring to me…  but what if it got kind of specific…  and…  what if it kind of worked?!!?

We create (Do you need the definition too?  Because I did!  So I looked it up for us!)

create:  (verb)  cause (something) to happen as a result of one’s actions

This drives me to become aware of what I am actually creating.  I’m REEEAAALLY good at creating a grumpy attitude, a negative outlook on life, an overwhelming feeling, 30 extra pounds, irrational thinking….  I am just one talented woman.  You too?  {Big sigh}

But what if we became more intentional about what we were creating each day?!

What if we did these three things each day?!

1. Create conversations with God by talking to Him (prayer) and/or studying the Bible. 
2. Create smiles, memories, feelings, giggles, and moments with people by taking the time to stop and be in the moment.
3. Create fuel for our body with the foods we choose.

For my own life, I notice that I start going into a spiral of the “blues” then slowly but surely off track when I start hiding from God, from people and hiding IN my pantry….  {Anyone else do that too?!}

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Today’s Life with Jamye

Day 1 of 40

It’s almost 9:00 pm.  Robert’s on one sofa and I’m on the other.  Typing away.  Wondering what I got myself into!  You guessed it.  I’m exhausted.  You too?  We finished another day.  Alive.  Maybe thriving and maybe not.  But we did it.

I feel like I ran a marathon today.  My soul is sweating.  But it feels good.  Actually really good.  I haven’t felt this full in a long time.  Tired but so full.  So here’s to my attempt to make these blogs for the next 40 days “short and sweet” (as my hot and handsome husband strongly encouraged me to do……. oh how he knows me oh so well!)  Here we go!

1. {Spirit}

I was beyond excited to jump out of bed this morning.  But I didn’t.  I couldn’t.  Way too tired.  Mr. Handsome dedicatingly jumped out of bed at 5:00 a.m. and prepped to hit his Crossfit 5:30 a.m. class, group, movement, cult???….  I’m joking I’m joking.  We all know Rich Froning is a Jesus follower.  Wink Wink.

Whoops.  Short and sweet.  Let’s keep this focused.  😉

I finally got up and sat on the sofa with my warm cup of energy.  I opened up my Bible and sat there paralyzed with a high expectation of myself.  Where do I start?  I decided to go to 1 Kings 17.  The story of Elijah.

Keep listening.  It gets really impressive in a sec.  {sarcasm, of course}

This was the story I read on Sunday morning when this whole 40 days hit my heart.  So why not go back to the same place I heard God, felt God, followed God the last time?

This sounded like a marvelous idea until I realized it didn’t FEEL the same.  Please hear my heart.  I know that our relationship with God is much more than feelings.  I do.  Really, I do.  In fact, its much deeper and richer than feelings could ever dive in our spirit and soul.  Buuuuut…. I wanted to be filled, inspired, and I wanted that first date “moment” with Him.  You get me, right?!

So I went to the most holiest of places I could–the commentary of my Bible.  {super impressed with me yet?}  Yes.  That’s what happened.  I opened my Bible to READ my Bible and I read anything BUT my Bible.  I read the COMMENTARY of the Bible.  So close, right?!  But it actually filled my heart and spirit so much!  It might inspire and fill you too!  Let’s try it out.

I read ABOUT the person of Elijah.  The Cliff Notes version of who he is in the Word of God.  It was liked I juiced the vitamins and minerals of the Scriptures.  Satisfying to my soul.  I don’t know who wrote this information.  (Yes, I’m sure it’s recorded in my NIV Life Application Study Bible but that would require me to get up off the couch and check.  I’m tired.  Too tired for that.)

The way this person wrote about Elijah is inspiring.  Take a look.

What stuck in my heart was the fact that Elijah was so full of emotions and defeat and yet God still wanted to use him!  He just wanted him strong.  Oh how I sooo get that!  God implied that Elijah was so lonely because he was living in ignorance.  Ignorance!!!  That’s a strong word, right?!  I thought so too!

But this morning it called me to realize that maybe I am too.  Ignorant to all that I am actually blessed with.  All the beauty that lies around me, yet I’m too overwhelmed and apparently self absorbed to see it.  Ignorant.  Blind.  I kind of think I feel in the dark because I haven’t been seeing people.  I haven’t been seeing YOU.  So today I decided to take a look.  And it worked.  My husband is hotter, my kids are cuter and you are truly beautiful.  Read about that next!

2. {Soul-Mind, Will, & Emotions}

I was supposed to go to the gym for a workout but I opted out.  Yep.  That’s a great start to day 1, right?!  But wait!  I decided to shower!  I had a friend and her son, Benjamin’s friend, coming over today for a coffee and chat.  And before that Shyloh had dance.  I felt like it was a non-sweaty, hair curling, make up applied kind of day.

I took a shower and half way blowed dried my hair.  Applied half of my make up.  And that’s it.  That’s it because we couldn’t find shyloh’s matching tap dance shoe.  The tap dance shoe that we JUST PURCHASED.  Sigh.  Big Sigh.  I held it together (on the outside)….NOT on the inside.  I threw on my outfit, wrinkled but cute.  At least it fit.  Hid my porcelain soft body that fit a post partum mama just nicely.

Off we went to dance.  Striving in a little late.  Don’t worry, I remembered the 6 month old.  I double checked.

This is when the soul started to fill.  I cannot even tell you what happens in that place.  But who knew that when I signed up the 4 year old for dance, I was really signing up for a break from life.  A filling with people in the same boat as me.  And laughter and stories for days.  Not all the moms are the same week in and week out, but today’s group was exceptional.  And this is free for me!  (Not the dance—-let’s be honest, why does it really cost so much money for such a little body!?  Another topic for another post…focused finances post that is… wink wink.)

Today’s women made my cheeks hurt.  They usually do.  One scoops the baby out of my arms and demands to squeeze his cheeks.  And anything to give my arms and back a rest is nice.  Benjamin just flirts.  He flashes those smiles and hamburger bun cheeks.

I watch these women and they’re radiant.  Each in their own way.  One house hunting.  The other the side-kick; offering expert advice and affirmation like any friend would do.  It’s sweet.  Comical really.  They are hilarious.

Then there’s another beautiful one.  She just had a baby and walks around almost Cinderella like.  But who wouldn’t with her sweet boy.  Like 3 weeks out of pregnancy and she glows.  It’s inspiring. But what I notice each and every week is the way she eagerly watches her first born daughter dance.  Not ever missing a moment she peeks in the window to silently cheer on her mini ballerina.  She carries on a conversation with intelligence and humor all while silently mothering.  What a mom.

These women.  More than pictured below filled my soul.  Watching them do some of the most life-stressing things…having a baby, buying a home, …..  and they’re doing it.  Doing it with grace, with honest struggle, and with others.  That’s inspiring. Just watching them is sweet.

{As I was heading out the door–hence why I’m wearing sunglasses–they encouraged me to take a picture of myself for my 40 days blog post journey.  How embarrassed was I?!  Wrinkled and extrovert but really introvert.  This was getting a little more than I expected it to be.  ……So I begged them to join me!  They did!  Ha!  See what I’m talking about?!  Radiant!}

….

Then another friend came over for some chats with coffee and our babies.  I’ve known her my entire life.  Some days she’s in work out attire and other days she’s delicately dressed with pinterest best.  No matter her attire, she’s always ready for conversation.  What a concept.  Just ready to talk.  I love this.  Watching her eagerness to be the best mom to her first born and being honest with her emotions, strengths and challenges is real.  I like real.  I like it a lot actually.  She always shares with me the latest, greatest trends of life.  See this?!  Yep!  I hadn’t ever seen that either.  Home made baby food in that handy dandy thing.  Genius.

She shared with me about a Bible study she’s doing–Armor of God by Priscilla Shirer.  Love her!  We drank a second round of coffee for the day and found ourselves saying “what were we just talking about???” in complete normalcy.  I was in great company.  My soul was rested and satisfied.

Why don’t we do this more often?  You know, make intentional time for friends?  Or maybe you do, and I just need to do it more.  40 days.  We can do it.

…

I wish I could tell you story after story about my conversations that were created with people today but that might put you to sleep.  And I still have to blog about my food!  Robert just went to bed and this short and sweet thing is getting rather difficult.  Type faster Jamye.

So here’s the nutshell version.

Having three kids, I realized today that not only am I creating intentional relationships with them but setting up relationships for them!

Today was a park picnic dinner date with a 6 year old friend.  Me with 4 kids.  That’s hard!  No adult back up (aka, Robert was still at work).  Picnic on a blanket.  Dinner.  Store bought, of course.  Although I did make the fruit salad.  I watched them play, giggle and relate.  It starts so young.  So beautiful.  Maybe it’s because I had four brothers and no sisters.  It’s not natural for me.  it’s challenging but I love it.  I love you guys.  My heart is so full.  Watching these kids at play dates and being chauffer mom.  Why do I ever complain?  It wasn’t easy today, exhausting actually, but full.

Readers from my blog hugged my heart with honest and organic words of affirmation as I ran into them and shared oxygen for a minute or two with them.  That fills me too.

Then the icing on the cake happened when while in the Albertsons express line that wasn’t so expressed, the 3 kids, and one friend (that’s 4 kids on 1 adult!) turned around and with the sweetest of and most sincere words said

“I just love the way you talk to your kids…”

She went on to tell me how I spoke to them with intellect (however you spell that word), with kindness and not with baby-talk nor impatience or irritation.  Ha!  That felt AMAZING!!!!!! Actually, it filled up my soul SO much that after she turned around, I didn’t say another single word to them.  I didn’t want to ruin her opinion of this somehow impressive mother! 😉 She obviously didn’t hear me YESTERDAY!

I’m not sure how that happened other than the fact that something this morning when I desired to be filled by God, a sustaining of His love and grace must have carried me through the day.  He must have been radiating through me as I concluded the day with four kids (one borrowed) and me.

Or…maybe it was the food I ate and didn’t eat.  Or both, right?!  😉

3. {Body}

Carb cycling.  It’s what got me down to 12.5% body fat and when done in a simple way, it works.  Not miracles but wonders.  You can get really complicated and track everything on My Fitness Pal and numbers crunch your way out of a life.  Or you can do what I am attempting to do.  Still challenging for sure but once you get the hang out it then you can do it too!  Anyone can.

I’m sharing with you the food portion of my 8 week course.  Why?  Because I love you!  I want to US to be strong in body!  Take a look.

As the days go on, I’ll explain more.  But for the sake of time and my marriage, today will have to be just a screen shot of what I ate and the foods that fall in each column.

Eat every 2 1/2 to 3 hours (approx.) and drink 1/2 to 1 gallon of water.  P is for Protein, C is for Carbs, V is for veggies.

It’s like putting 3-4 puzzle pieces together and you get your creative meal!  I’m satisfied today.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In fact, I’m very full.  It’s delightful really.  I am exhausted though.  My heart, soul and body got one big workout!  Day 1 is in the books.

If you would like to receive these 40 day blog posts directly into your inbox then sign up on the right hand side!  If you can’t find it them comment below and we’ll get you alongside us!

Also, if you think someone else might be inspired and encouraged by this then forward and share.  Whether spirit, soul or body, we might need to strengthen one of those areas, right?!  I think we might need each other more than we realize.  At least I know I need you.  There I go again…sappy sappy blogging.

Good night all!  Much love!

Jamye

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