Taken it a little slower

ok this morning I woke up and felt I got hit by a bus- may have overdone the bike ride yesterday- the schedule I am following ( created by a traithlete) said 1-2 miles I should have listened- but no I wanted to push myself- well I will get back to following the recommended training- I am a newbie at this I need to follow the guidance of a long time triathlete-

In life it is ok to push yourself through your goals- if I did not I would not have accomplished them but it is also ok to take it at a steady pace- push but be steady and slow down if you need too. Keep persuing and keep perservering and accomplish your goals in life-

Monday Update

ok call me crazy - what was I thinking- biking to the Shoppes at Wiregrass when I have not worked out in a few weeks -plus I had the wind working against me- downing the water as I type- it felt good to ride though- I had my ipod on and the music kept me going-

now tomorrow will be the test- I need to walk for 20 minutes - maybe run some- running yuck-but I am going to accomplish this goal-anyone want to join me in a triathlon?

Work outs restarted yesterday

ok so I dropped Marcus off with my parents yesterday and have the week to myself- so I decided to begin my quest on training again- so yesterday swimming in the pool swam for about 30 minutes of laps- then today I will go biking after work not sure how far I will go - probably in between 3-7 miles and then Tuesday the walk/run (this will be the hardest one to do) then start it all over on Thursday with swimming and keep going-

I will keep you posted on how it is going- Mini Triathlon here I come

Getting Ready to leave

yep going on a trip again today all the way to South Africa- oh no worries I will be back by 1 or so this afternoon

Once a month in Children's Church we take a trip this week is South Africa and Adam asked me if I wanted to teach on it- I said sure- I love Africa and I have been to South Africa- well landing there at least (does that count) I have been to Botswana and Zimbabwe way back in my younger days for 2 weeks- Life changing experience.

So today we are going to South Africa and they will be learning how missionaries reach children there- we will also be talking about how we all fit into the puzzle of the Body of Christ and how each one of us has a significant role to play and if one of us was missing we would not be complete.

So are you complete in Christ? You can be - Come learn more about Him, if your single come- if you have a family come if you are retired come. Come see what is missing and if you do not attend Celebration then you are the one missing from our puzzle.

Hey Hey its Saturday

the title sounds exciting, right? well I woke up too early ( 4 am) I could go out and walk/run- but Marcus is asleep or I could go bike ride but Marcus is asleep or swim and yet again Marcus is still asleep- at what age can you leave a child without getting in trouble? ok see I am in a funk this morning - maybe cause I did not sleep well or maybe cause my Marcus is going away for a week- I have found myself being reflective since yesterday evening and it keeps waking me up-

so now I am up at 522 am on a Saturday so - I am going to share with you what I was thinking about - hope that is ok

the 21st of July marks a significant change in my life (5 years ago)- that is the day Marcus left foster care forever- adoption was not finalized until November though.

I can vividly remember some of the conversations I had with the foster mom- oh no he has no behavior problems - hmmm, ok now that was not the truth- jumping off his bed as he throws a step stool at me- I should have been clued in there -huh. oh the early months were not all bad.

He learned colors- shapes - letters and I found out he was very smart- he learned to eat with manners (still working on haha) he learned manners yes maam no maam yes sir no sir

He had - and haves a home - a mom that cares about him and loves him no matter what ( he finally got that concept a couple of months ago)

Up until recently we went through 3 childcares a year- oh the joy and stresses of having a child with EBD- and child care facilites do not get it-

we and I mean we have come so far- I have learned not to react to his insaneness but to ignore it - and yes I know there is a line drawn there- I have grown as a person and a parent-

He has come soooo far- I look back and even over the summer he has grown-not just in height but in maturity ( we will have some more to go with this) we all do.

Marcus has a tender heart and he makes me laugh at times- his laugh is contagious - he must have gotten that from me - hehe

I smile and cry at the same time as I think of where we have come from and where we are going- each year it gets better and better. I am so proud of him and proud of myself- we both have learned and will continue to learn .

It is a day to day process and some days are so long with the process and other days are smooth sailing- it gets tiring but so rewarding

When I prayed for a child - I prayed for a boy 3-5 years old and challenging ( i needed to be a little more specific here) and God sure gives us the deisre of our heart - and even though the last 5 years has not all be pretty - I am so thankful I went through it - so glad God gave me the son he did- Love you Bubba man

July 26-30

We have 4 kids going to camp from CelebrationChurch and one of them will be Marcus-if you have read my blog for any length of time you know this is a step in the right direction- My prayer is 1. that his behavior is in check and 2 - most important God changes his life forever. I am hoping for no phone calls to come and pick him up - just being honest

Growing up I went to church camp and have some of the greatest memories of it-and hoping this will be the start of wonderful memories and a life changing experience for him.

So if you remember the week of July 26-30 pray for Marcus- pray for our kids to have a life changing experience - to make new friends and most importantly draw closer to God.

You are not alone

Those closest to me often hear these words come out of my mouth- In which I believe whole heartily- and every so often I am reminded of it myself. Often times we think we are alone- in our struggles whether it be how we deal with our children, hurts we may go through, and the list goes on.

But I often find myself thinking of how I am not alone- when I can sit back and have someone to speak to or vent to when I need to, cry on there shoulder- or someone where I go for advise or more like guidance. I won't list your names cause you know who you are

I sit back at times and realize how far I have come- as a person and as a parent- if you seek out - you will find those who are so knowledgeable and more experienced in parenting then you are.

I learn a lot from other parents and learn so much from those that deal with Marcus daily-

I sometimes wonder where I would be if I were alone - with out the people in my life who care, love and support us-I would probably would have gone insane- :)

I have been noticing lately I just sit and smile on the inside after a Marcus meltdown- grant it these are few and farther between. Not because he had a meltdown- but because I have come so far in how I handle them- why cause I am not alone

We are never alone - I was listening to the radio yesterday morning and they were speaking about this- why are we never alone-Psalm 73:23 Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. Matthew 28:20b I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

Side note for those of you who have children with behavorial or emotional issues- see my other blog- Parentsyouarenotalone