REALity TV.

Okay, so ever since The Biggest Loser came on TV, I have been obsessed. I don't really know why, but I think it's just the general idea that a person can experience that caliber of radical change to their body and mind in such a short amount of time that initially captivated me and still does till this day.

If you ask me what reality TV show I would want to be on, my answer has always been The Biggest Loser. I have gotten some mighty odd looks when I say this, because I am not exactly the typical candidate: I am a six foot tall girl that weighs the normal amount that a 19 year old girl that is six feet tall should (there is no way I will post my weight on the internet; it's against girl code). Most contestants on this show are severely overweight, so much that it is threatening their quality of life. So obviously I know that I am never going to be on The Biggest Loser, but hey, a girl can dream, right?

After I give my reply to the posed question about reality TV, I, more often than not, get either: a)stared at

b)laughed at

c)given this look that says "Oh my word, this girl is has a terrible body image."

But, in all reality, my reasoning for wanting to go on this show is because I want to see if I could handle Bob and Jillian's super INTENSE workouts and if they could help me tone my body and get rid of the little pooch that has been on my stomach since the good ole days back when I was about 5 or 6 years old and I drank around eight cups of apple juice a day and my stomach was lovingly referred to as "The Mollie Belly" by my family.

All that being said, I think my dreams of going on The Biggest Loser may have changed yesterday..

I was talking to a girl that I work with and she just started the Thirty Day Shred, which is a workout video by Jillian Michaels. You do this video workout for thirty days to shred off the unwanted pounds (the name is pretty self-explanatory, but I like to simplify things for fun). The girl I work with said that it was hard, but not too bad. I was like well I love Jillian on BL (Biggest Loser) so I most definitely need to purchase this program and get to work!

I go to Walmart that afternoon and am looking at the workout DVD selection. I see the Thirty Day Shred and read a little about it. I am about to walk away, when another Jillian workout catches my eye. No More Trouble Zones. This workout is all about toning the flabby zones, which is just what I want! So I make the purchase and head home (stopping at Wendy's on the way for lunch, counterproductive? yep.) I eat and then let my food settle, anxious to try out the workout.

I pop in the DVD, get my mat and weights set up and start the workout. About 10 minutes later, I am dripping sweat and it is starting to burn. Twenty minutes in, my body stops moving when I tell it to move. Thirty minutes? I am laying on the ground, hearing Jillian say in the background "Don't quit, don't give up!" I make myself get up and do as much of the workout that I can muster, but I barely made it through the whole 50 minute DVD alive. Yes, I am a little bit out of shape and eating the Wendy's chicken nuggets before probably didn't do much help, but oh my goodness gracious. I haven't been that worn out from a workout in a longggggggg long time.

So, needless to say, Jillian's video kicked my booty. Literally.

After doing this workout, I am beginning to rethink my desire to go on The Biggest Loser. I just don't know if I could live solely to workout for five months. Five whole months devoted to working out, every minute of every day. That's crazy talk. I think I'll just stick to going to the gym a few times a week and doing Jillian's videos on occasion.

As for the question of what reality TV show would want to be on, my new answer would have to be....

drum roll please...

daaaaaa.daaaaaaa.daaaaa.....

The Amazing Race!

EPIC.

The beautiful day that we had for the baptisms in the ocean.

Three baptisms in the ocean. What a glorious day!

So a few weeks ago I went to be a chaperone for my church's youth camp in Panama City, FL. It was a spur of the moment thing. The youth minister asked me to go before I went to South Africa, but it was the weekend after I would get home and I just didn't think I would want to go so I said no, initially. But as I was doing my quiet time when I arrived home from SA, I felt like God was calling me to go. So on Wednesday (they left on Friday) I went to see the youth minister and see if there was any way I could go. He told me that I was in luck because one of the chaperones had found out just that morning that he had to work and wouldn't be able to go..God sure is good.

The only downside was I had to work on Friday and on Monday so I would have to make the four hour drive alone. Oh boy. I have driven to Panama City before, but never by myself. I didn't really have written directions to lead me and my parents were kinda like, "you just flew to South Africa by yourself, I think you can make it to Panama City alone." So off I went.

I am one of those people that really enjoys quality time alone in the car, where I can just be myself and jam out and sing and laugh at how stupid I look. Yep, that's me. So I was pumped for the eight hours I'd have in the car by myself.

I was about halfway into the trip and I was using the Maps app on my iPhone, which is unreliable to say the least, and I noticed my phone only had 20% left, and I knew that was no bueno, so I began searching in gas stations for a charger, without avail. Thankfully, I finally stubbled upon a CVS and found a charger! One disaster avoided.

As I began the second leg of my journey, I began praying about the weekend ahead at Youth Camp, just asking God to move and work in the youth. I was just a talking away and then I looked up and saw this amazing rainbow. I started blubbering like a little baby. Rainbows are such simple things, but yet represent such a huge promise made by God.

"I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth." Genesis 9: 13-16

It's the little God moments like that that truly make life beautiful.

I continued on my way and made it to PCB safe and sound, just in time for Friday night worship. Joey Hill was the speaker for the weekend and the theme was EPIC. It was a great weekend. It really was interesting because I have never been a chaperone before. It's such a different role, different in a good way. I was reminded that the weekend wasn't about me(and neither is life), but about the youth and their relationship with God. Very humbling and just what I needed. Since coming home from SA, I have been lured by Satan into the thought that I am somehow better than everyone else just because I went to serve God internationally. I know in my heart and my brain that I am not, but still have my sinful moments where I get very big headed about it all. So this role as chaperone was a much needed role to put me back in my place.

God truly worked during Youth Camp and it was EPIC. I am so blessed that I got to work with the youth and witness three baptisms in the ocean. What a cool experience!!

I'll leave you with one quote from my worship notes that really sticks out:

"Everything ugly in our lives is SIN. On the outside, we look like we have it all together, but on the inside, it's ugly. Thankfully, the ugliness that Christ displayed on the cross turns our ugly lives into beauty."

To blog or not to blog..

Well..I finally gave in and joined the blog world! I always thought blogging was for old women that have nothing better to do..but I have recently read some really legit blogs and decided to give it a try myself. I figured that blogging is a good way for me to process things going on in my life and how God is working in my life. I’m sure my blog is probably not that entertaining, but maybe someone will get something out of it. If not, I am still really excited to have a blog

Warning: I HATE proofreading so disregard any typos/errors.

Now, enjoy.