Tuesday’s Tidings for January 6, 2015

Chels’ Five:

1. I got the surprise of my life a week and a half ago from our dear friends from Texas (previously California) – you may remember that Karen was the one who gave me the recipe for the Cheese Blintzes on the blog. They showed up at my front door out of the blue! Apparently, they asked Josh to keep quiet about their visit so they could see my shocked reaction! We spent about five hours together eating pizza and catching up while our kids played with each other. It was such a blessed time, I can’t even tell you!

2. So, I’ve got to be honest. I love/loathe this New Year’s time of year for one reason only – my gym is suddenly packed! Big surprise right? Don’t get me wrong, I love that people make resolutions to start making healthier changes, whether it’s making fitness a priority, eating healthier, drinking more water, remembering vitamins, etc. The gym to a newbie can be an intimidating place. You’re surrounded by a ton of people who know the machines, are making strides in their workouts, and some look really nice in their workout clothes. I remember the first time I made the decision to finally start going to a gym after I had Eden. I was scared, intimidated, not sure where I wanted to start, and ill-prepared with old cheerleading shoes and the wrong kind of clothing. But, within two weeks of going, I was more comfortable and I felt like I belonged. So, I am happy to see my “small” gym packed, BUT. There is always a but. It sure does make finding a parking spot hard and finding a machine I like to use that’s available.

3. Yesterday morning, I, along with probably a ton of ladies from all over the country, maybe even the world, started our new bible study from Women Living Well. We’re studying God’s Word, one chapter a day, making our way through the Bible. We just started Exodus, so if you don’t have a Bible study and want one, I highly recommend you join this one. It has done so much for my walk, and I’m learning so much about myself and the Lord.

4. On a very different note, Josh got me Taylor Swift’s new album 1989 for Christmas and I’m so addicted. It’s been fueling my workouts at the gym and even Josh likes the album, so that says a lot, lol!

5. Speaking of Christmas gifts, Josh got me a gift he was completely unsure I would like and it paid off because I LOVE IT! It’s the Jawbone UP and I wasn’t entirely sure I would care for it much either. But here’s what it is and why I like it. It’s bracelet you wear that tracks all of your sleep and steps, and more. It tells you when you’ve been sitting too long and when you need to get up and move. I can track my food intake (like MyFitnessPal), but I don’t use it for that. I do track my water intake, though. I can plug in all of my workouts and it tells me if I’m burning enough calories. It also tracks my sleep, which is helpful for me, because I know I toss a lot and wake up a lot. I like knowing how many steps I take and how many I should be aiming for. I tell it when I go to sleep and then it also wakes me up in the morning, which is annoying because I like my sleep, but it always wakes me up, so that is a good thing. It also has a battery life of nine days and that has been awesome! I would highly recommend this product if you’re in the market for one.

Josh’s Five:

1. So, I’m a bit of a techie (it’s okay, you can call me a nerd – that’s cool now, I think), and for techies, this is CES week. CES is the Consumer Electronics Show, for the uninitiated, and it’s an enormous, ridiculous, over-the-top extravaganza of gadgets (and washing machines and TVs and cars) in Las Vegas, presented by hundreds of companies. Typically, there are a few big announcements…and a lot of totally insane gizmos that will probably never come to market. Samsung will undoubtedly get super weird, and Asus will launch some wild thing that no one will buy. Anyway, the news is coming fast and furious, and it’s a great source of amusement every time I glance at my Twitter feed.

2. Switching gears (big time), my Dad is preaching through the book of Daniel on Sundays, and he just finished the infamous Chapter Eleven. It’s pretty fascinating how the prophecies line up with the events of the last few centuries BC..so much so that secular scholars use it as an example of why it can’t be prophecy (it’s too accurate…)!

3. Grinding the gears again (pardon the automotive references), I suppose my big news of the week is that I finished my last class needed to graduate from college this week! Finally! I finished my associate’s degree back in 2007, but ran out of time and money after that. Thanks to an innovative new program at Western Governors University, I was able to use a lot of my real-life experience in the workforce to accelerate some classes and finish my remaining credits in ten months – it feels so good to have it done!

4. I’ve decided there are four things you should always….ALWAYS….have in the house (no, they’re not bacon, bacon, bacon, and bacon). They are…bacon (haha), slider buns, lettuce, and tomatoes. Why? Because when you’re hungry late at night and you didn’t have time to eat dinner, a BLT slider is unimaginably perfect.

5. New annoying trend in the movie industry that serves its intended purpose too well, even as we hate it: trailers for trailers. Yep, that’s right. As if there weren’t enough movie trailers out there, we now get trailer releases for new upcoming trailers. Don’t believe it? Just watch.