Favorite Friday-Running Gear

It's Friday, so I thought I'd talk about one of my favorite things, RUNNING. More about why & when I started running in another blog. I've only been running about a year and a half, but I do have some favorite things that I want to share with you today.

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Shoes:
Brooks Adrenaline GTS
I've had both of my ankles reconstructed so these shoes provide great support. I am on my second pair of Brooks (pictured above.) I hope to run my first half marathon in them!

Hands/Head:
Brooks Pulse Lite Gloves
Great for cold days. Material pulls back on thumbs, which I love for switching up my iPod (iPhone). Also has a sensor pad on finger of glove to do the same.

Nike Dri Fit Running Headband

Clothing:
Nike Women's Tempo Track Running Shorts

Nike Element Thermal Hoodie
My absolute FAVORITE cold weather piece! I have 2 of these. It is so light but it keeps me so warm. The hood stays on very well and there are little glove like pockets you can slip your hands in to. Seriously love this hoodie! It's the best!

Under Armor ColdGear Fitted Longsleeve Crew & Leggings
Great base layer stuff. Keeps me nice & warm.

Stores:
Red Coyote in Classen Curve - Highly recommend their free running analysis. They are very knowledgable and super to work with.

Nike & Under Armor Outlet Stores-The Outlet Shoppes at Oklahoma City

Fuel/Recovery:

Zija Smart Drink & Zija XM3 Sports Drink
I drink the XM3 before long runs, Smart Drink before short runs. Daily, I take Zija supplements and drink Smart Drink. This all natural nutrition has really helped my body and has greatly improved my running! Great stuff without caffeine!

Chocolate milk is the best post-run drink! So yummy and so good for recovery. Research it! :)

Music:
I shared some of my favorite running tunes here. I do have some new favorites since that post, especially "Praise Him" by Theroyalroyal. They have a few songs out that are really great to run to...great beat and great worship!

Technology:
Motorola Wireless Bluetooth Headphones
Love that I don't have to mess with a cord! I can also answer my phone and talk through these if I have a call come in or if I need to make a call for some reason.

Nike+ Dashboard & Nike+ GPS
Love, love running with the app! It syncs with my iPod "RUNNING" playlist, tracks my route, distance, pace and keeps a running history for me. There are also encouraging messages from famous athletes that play to keep me motivated. Highly recommend this. I have it set up to where it syncs with the Nike+ Dashboard...online profile, running community, tools and posting to Facebook and/or Twitter.

Daily Mile
I sync my Nike+ GPS stats to this website. It's a fun, running community where you can share you run info with your friends, motivate others, get motivation from others, track your workouts, etc. You can also post to Facebook and/or Twitter from here. AND they have a fun little widget you can post to your blog like I have.


How about you? Do you have some favorite running gear/stuff you wear or use? I'd love for you to share!  Also, find me if you are on Nike+ or Daily Mile. 

Wives

This weekend at LifeChurch.tv, we started a new series called Samson. It is geared towards men to encourage them to stand strong and be the men that God created them to be. The Week 1 message was an excellent start to what I believe will be a very powerful series for many. As I listened to the message, I couldn't help but think of how important our role is as wives to build up and encourage our husbands. What we think and say about our husbands determines what they become. 

1 Peter 3:1-2 (AMP) gives great instruction on how to be godly wives. 

In like matter, {insert your name here}, be submissive to your own husbands [subordinate yourselves as being secondary to and dependent on them, and adapt yourselves to them], so that even if any do not obey the Word [of God], they may be won over not by discussion but the [godly] lives of their wives, when they observe the pure and modest way in which you conduct yourselves, together with your reverence [for your husband; you are to feel for him all that reverence includes: to respect, defer to, revere him--to honor, esteem, appreciate, prize and, in the human sense, to adore him, that is, to admire, praise, be devoted to, deeply love and enjoy your husband]. 

If you want your husband to stand up and be a leader for your family, then build him up. Stop tearing him down. Stop nagging him and telling him he's not leading your family. Again, what we think and say about our husbands determines what they become. Take the above verse to heart. Do what is says. Pray for your husband. Encourage your husband. Respect your husband. Then watch him step up to be the man God wants him to be. 

Will you join me and other wives in watching the Samson messages with your husbands either at Church Online or at a LifeChurch.tv Campus? Will you put this verse in your heart and pray for your man? Leave a comment below and let me know you're with me. I'll be praying for you, your husbands and your families during this time as well. I can't wait to hear how God works in and through all of us over the next 4 weeks. 

Favorite Friday-Date Nights

If you've read any of my posts, you know that I am a big fan of my hubby. One of my absolute favorite things is going on dates with him. I LOVE that he still asks me out on dates even after all the years we've been together.

January 2012

We adore our girls and LOVE doing things as a family, but we feel date night's are so important. Spending time with each other is just as more important that spending time with our girls. It's time that Scott and I dedicate to each other. We can talk without interruption and truly catch up after a busy week. Our conversations are most often about the girls and parenting. I always get so much out of them. I usually end up with a fresh, new, better perspective. Our conversations keep us united on EVERYTHING. Date nights build intimacy. We laugh...a lot! I still think Scott is as funny and charming as I did when I met him almost 12 years ago. We dream together. We have fun together. Dates nights are so refreshing for me. 

Date night is also important for our girls. It shows them that their mom and dad really love each other, value each other and our marriage and that we enjoy spending time together. Scott is also setting a great example on how they should expect to be treated/courted when they are much, much older. If you read my last post, children learn what they live. They will learn to nurture relationships and will know how they should be treated by a man by seeing you and your husband's example.

Do you and your spouse go on dates?

Children Learn What They Live

Earlier this week, the girls and I made a trip to Target. I journeyed over to the office supply aisle to pick up some things we needed for school. As we walked by the notebooks, Abigail yells, "Mommy! Mommy! Can I have a notebook like yours?" I looked over to find a stack of notebooks like the one I use to take notes in while reading my bible. She told me the little notebook she carries with her bible was running out of paper. She draws pictures in it when she goes to bible study with her daddy and also writes in it at church on Sunday. So I agreed to a new notebook. Abigail and Ashby picked out pink ones, and we went on our way.

My notebook

When we got home, Abigail asked if she could use the Sharpie's to write her name on her new notebook. A bit later, she brought the notebook to show to me.

Abigail's new notebook

She told me she wrote "God's Words" because she wanted write what God told her in her new notebook. I was blown away! I've never talked to her about journaling, taking notes while your read your bible or sitting and listening to God and writing down what He tells her. I've never even told her that I do these things. BUT she sees me doing these things.

I get up (most days) WAY before the rest of my house. The girls wake up and come downstairs to find me either coming in from running or sitting with my bible, (iPad & YouVersion) journal and notebook. The only questions Abigail ever asks me are "did you just come in from a run? or "are you reading your bible?" She didn't learn writing God's Words from me telling her or trying to teach her. She is learning from example. Our girls see me reading. They see me writing. They hear me talking to God. They hear me praying over them. They are learning what they live!

Our actions speak so much louder than our words. What are you children learning from watching you?

One Word 2012

Happy New Year! I'm hoping this is the first of many posts to come. I promise I'll get the Christmas background changed soon, too.

In 2010, I read a blog that really spoke to me about choosing One Word for the year. So I sought God to find my One Word. Soon after I read this blog, our LifeChurch.tv pastor, Craig Groeschel did a message called, One Thing. AMAZING message! By the end of that message it was clear that God wanted my One Word to be FOCUS. I put my FOCUS and attention on God and on the things that He was calling our family to and what a transforming year for us!

As I continued this FOCUS, I felt led to seek out a One Word for 2011. RELATIONSHIPS was the word I heard over and over. It was time for me to get a little out of my comfort zone and focus on loving people. You see, I was more of a behind the scenes, task-oriented, keep to myself person. I wasn't necessarily shy, it just wasn't super comfortable for me engage in conversation with strangers or lead a group. WOW! Did that change!?!?! I wish I had the words to describe how the Lord blessed me. My relationship with my Father blossomed. I found deeper intimacy with my husband and our girls as I focused more on truly being with them and not just "doing things" for them. When I started to get caught up in tasks around the house, the Holy Spirit would gently guide me into putting my family and friends first. I found that stuff could wait. I learned to just "be" with people. (This was so HUGE for me to be able to put people first before having things just so like I liked them!) Healthy, encouraging, and loving friendships flourished. God placed some amazing people in my life and my family's life that I am thankful for. We are building life-long friendships that continue to grow today. We are blessed to be a part of two wonderful homeschool co-ops where we get to meet weekly with other like-mined families to raise up kid's that love the Lord. I have so enjoyed getting to meet so many new friends and watch my girls develop sweet friendships as well as have some amazing big kids to look up to. God also showed me that He wanted to use me to speak into other's lives and to start leading a SOAR group. He also showed me that I could still use my gifts of organization but He would be faithful and give me the words to speak if I just stepped out in obedience to love and encourage others. Transforming!

It's 2012, and God has given me a new word. He has also given me some scriptures to focus on as well. A little addition this year. But first, my One Word for 2012, JOY. For those of you that know me, you are probably wondering why JOY. I'm a pretty positive, happy, encouraging person. This is true, but I feel that the Lord is leading me to find JOY in EVERYTHING. Philippians 4:4 (NLT) says "Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again-rejoice!" ALWAYS. As grateful and as happy as I am, I'm not ALWAYS joyful...daily tasks, trying to get places on time when we're running late, potty training, folding laundry, making dinner, sitting in traffic, during a not-so-great run, when things don't go the way I want, and so on. My desire is to become JOYFUL, ALWAYS, in EVERYTHING. No matter what my circumstances may be. I believe finding JOY is the first step in following the Holy Spirit's leading in EVERY part of my life (Galatians 5:25.)
For more on JOY, read Galatians 5, John 15:9-11

As I mentioned, the Lord has given me, what I feel are key scriptures in addition to my One Word this year. They are:

"Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need." Matthew 6:33
"Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and he will give you everything you need." Luke 12:31
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take." Proverbs 3:5-6

To seek: to go in search of; to try to find or discover by searching or questioning; to go to.

SEEK GOD! The Lord is telling me to continue to SEEK HIM and to encourage others to SEEK HIM.  And I will. My family will. SEEKING HIM through His word and in prayer has totally changed us over the past couple of years. We are running after Him like never before, reading His word individually and together, praying throughout the day and I've started journaling. We are SEEKING HIM FIRST in EVERYTHING. I urge you to do the same. Open up your bible. Talk to God. When you SEEK HIM first, everything falls into place. He will show you what to do.

I can't wait to see where God leads me and my family this year. Do you have a One Word or key scripture? I'd love for you to share!