a divine email

so a few weeks ago i was at the worship service i attend on monday nights

and they mentioned this retreat called "encounter weekend" that i had heard a lot of great things about

and it happened to be on a weekend that not only was i free

but i had also tried to plan several getaways for that weekend only to find out the people i would have been visiting weren't going to be in town for that weekend only.

so when i saw the dates flash up on the screen i thought "hmmm"

so i went online and looked it up

started to fill out the registration materials

but i never hit "submit"

i kind of went along and forgot about it

back of my mind, but not really a conscious thought

and even tried to figure out if it would be a good weekend for A and i to go up and see the indiana folk

and then this week i got an email

giving me the schedule for the weekend

and saying

"oh, if you haven't paid yet just bring your $ to the retreat center"

and i thought

"what?"

surely a mistake

so i started to draft a reply saying

"i think you sent this by mistake, i never registered"

but i never sent it

(i did raise my eyebrows

that the retreat site is way familiar to me

as it's the campgrounds for the denomination i grew up in

and i've been there countless times through the years)

and then last night

my friend laura says

"hey, are you going on encounter? they asked me if i knew anyone that i could room with."

at that point i laughed

and said

"well, it hasn't been in my plan

but SOMEONE sure is planning it"

so long story short

(or, erm, long)

i'm going to a retreat next weekend

and i have no idea what to expect

but SOMETHING is going to happen

of that i am certain.

(i redrafted that email

and sent it off just now)

Friday Fitness

i'm starting a new feature here at le blog...because i want to help people be more educated about food and fitness. most of the things i'll be sharing are things that i didn't realize a year, two years, or 5 years ago. which means that even when i was skinny mini...the healthy version...i was still putting processed crap and foods very low in nutritional value into my body.

lately i've been making some changes.

and yes, while i'm no angel (pizza/wings for dinner with my small group last night and possible pub food tonight...) i believe that being AWARE of what you're putting into your body is important. so i'm aware that last night and perhaps tonight i'm filling my body with processed, greasy, possibly fried foods. that makes my lunch choices important, and means i'm limiting crap for snacks. there are plenty of fruits and vegetables in my fridge, so i have no excuse to reach for chips (which thankfully, i don't have in the house at the moment!)

i maintain that education is key. if you don't know...you don't care. if you know and you still don't care that's your prerogative...and if you know and care then maybe you'll find this little series helpful.

i'll just be passing on information that i learn. a simple google (or blackle) search will probably turn up similar information for you, but perhaps i'll save you a step or two. :)

here are 3 quick things for today since i spent all that time explaining why i'm doing this :)

1 - one of my blogging buddies posted this article on dangerous potato chips...and you're doing yourself a huge favor if you read it. seriously scary stuff!

(plus she's awesome and you should read her blog if you don't already *anyway*)

2 - an article that one of my friends shared on facebook a couple of months ago that has stuck with me. unfortunately, i haven't found a solution for canned tomatoes yet...but i'm looking into methods of canning them. there are not many available in glass jars, so i think the easiest and cheapest alternative will be to produce my own. ok, maybe not *easiest* :D

3 - two articles, one written in 2008 and one in 2009 about wiifit. pointing out the obvious--that if you don't use it it doesn't work, but if you do you actually may see some results.

for me personally, the wiifit game has been a way to gradually ease me back into exercise after my asthma attack earlier this summer...and a way for me to accurately track weight loss. and the bonus is that when i'm using it consistently (i average about 3x a week, although some weeks are more or less depending) i actually see results.

my opinion? wiifit is mainly about getting you off the couch and active. and it's fun. and if you lose a couple of pounds in the process it's pretty awesome :)

so there you go :) next week i'll share my reasoning behind my more organic than not lifestyle changes and you can all call me a crunchy freak ;-)

my experience with updating my iphone (3g) to OS 4.0

did not go exactly as planned.

which was frustrating, because you would think my macbook would communicate with it well.

i tried several times to run the "update" with no luck.

and by no luck i mean it would start a backup and after several hours would still be stuck backing the phone up.

so i did what any sensible girl would do.

i googled.

after reading several sites where people had similar issues, i lighted on an answer that seemed to be the most prevalent.

choosing "restore" instead of "update". according to them, this would automatically update your phone to the newest possible update.

sounded good to me.

i knew it would erase all my stuff, but i had faith in the "restore to backup" option.

so back up the phone i did :)

all in all, the process took about 2.5 hours from start to finish. here were the steps:

backing up my iphone (2 min)

restoring to factory settings (30 - 45 min)

waiting for it to restart (5 min)

freaking out that all my stuff was gone even though i had known it would be (5 - 20 min)

praying that the restore from backup would actually work (8 min)

and finally--with prayer--hitting the option to restore from backup and checking back every 30 seconds to see how close we were to fully backing up (1 excruciating hour)

oh, and then waiting for it to restart from THAT backup (5 min)

and waiting for it to sync, which basically meant putting all my music and stuff back on it (another 30 min)

having a momentary panic attack when i opened my text messages and saw they were blank...but only for a second. then the last one i had received came up, which made me smile--mostly because it was from my honey and said 'love you' :D (5 seconds)

i am happy to report that all is well...and those 2 hours spent doing all that were less stressful (even with my mild freakout) than the several hours (longest stretch being--i believe--approximately 8 hours with little to no movement on the task bar).

so why did i write this all out?

because there's probably other people out there who have run into similar problems and are unsure if this is the right solution.

so if you're not an iphone user, my apologies. will a cute picture of emi help?

Thursday's Ten: i don't get it

this week, in the category of things i don't understand...

1. appetizers for cats. really, fancy feast?

2. twilight teeth. for real, y'all?

3. people freaking out about facebook privacy settings again. most of them i understand, but worrying that your phone number is being published to your friends list? um...you put your phone number up. if you don't want your friends to see it, remove it. easy fix...

4. why no one in tennessee seems to use cages when growing tomatoes. they produce a much sturdier plant than staking them...just sayin'

5. disposable hand towels being marketed for everyday use. i definitely think they can be used in place of paper towels in some situations. but the marketing ploy is basically that your regular hand towels are filthy and this is the solution.

ok, i'm not sure about you, but i'm drying my CLEAN hands on my hand towel...so i don't buy it.

talk about NOT being eco-friendly!

6. little girls who say they deserve to continue on in competition because "we've just been working SO hard for SO long". um, even if you've been working 10 years (your whole life) and are immensely talented, i can point you to some adults who would laugh at that. a lot.

(thank you, america's got talent, for that particular gem)

7. why on earth it's taken me over 24 hours and two restore operations to try to update my iphone to OS.4. omgoodness.

8. why i haven't heard more about hot in cleveland. i mean, it's betty white for crying out loud--and it cracks.me.up.

9. why all the infomercials after midnight seem to be targeted to the older set. i mean, do they really think 60+ year olds are up at 1 or 2 am watching tv?!

10. mashed potatoes from a box. the real deal is the only way to go. end of story.

join me, won't you?

recipe of the week: fruit skewers and tropical fruit dip

so it's beautiful and sunny

and HOT

and i'm trying so hard to be a fruit lover

(i love love love veggies. and i like most fruit. i just don't eat it all the time)

but i went to the store last week and picked up a few organic treats

strawberries

(ps, these were also amazing in the mojitos this weekend...)

kiwi

blueberries

pineapple (that one wasn't organic but i bought the real deal...and i figure not much can get through that tough skin)

peaches

and i got a message from our friend who hosts the small group on thursdays that i've been going to for awhile.

i had asked if i could bring anything and she said "something with fruit."

to which i had replied "just fresh fruit?"

and she said "whatever you want to do that involves fruit. i love your creativity in the kitchen"

(uh-oh.

now i feel the need to be creative-esque)

so because i didn't want to mess up the fruit

(because it's already perfect the way God made it)

i decided to enhance it with a fruit dip.

only i couldn't stand the thought of marshmallow fluff...

processed the heck out of

so i sought an alternative

and of course what i ended up with was very far removed from the actual recipe that i found

this one pictured was made with cool whip

however i'm most definitely going to make it with actual whipping cream next time

at least i'll feel better about it then :)

here's my new and improved recipe:

tropical fruit dip

1 (8 oz) block of reduced-fat cream cheese

1/2 cup sugar or stevia (please don't use man-made chemicals as sweeteners...soapbox moment!)

1/2 cup whipping cream, whipped

1/4 cup almonds, plus a few for decor on top

1 tsp vanilla

optional: about 1/4 cup shaved coconut (i'm not a fan but i put it in and people went CRAZY over it)

beat cream cheese and sugar together until creamy and combined well. mix in whipped cream, almonds, vanilla and coconut (if using) until well blended. pour into serving bowl and garnish with almond slivers/slices. refrigerate for at least 1-2 hours so that flavors will blend. serve with freshly sliced fruit

OR

you can make fruit kabobs like i did :D

(i think those are pretty self-explanatory)

Monday's Memory: the one with the rose

this one is kind of bittersweet

this is a picture taken last year

in my backyard

my beautiful rosebush

flourishing

giving promise...hope

there was something about that first rose every year...

it was there when i moved in

and it was such a surprise when i saw that first perfect yellow rose

i loved watching for new buds

new blooms

we dug it up when i moved

put it in a pot...

i was so excited

to be able to take my beloved rosebush with me

but i'm afraid when nashville flooded

my rose may have become a casualty

i hope...

i pray (for real)

that it only LOOKS dead

because

damn

i love that rosebush...

i am determined

- to figure out a way to make sweet tea using my fresh stevia leaves instead of sugar

(anyone have any hints on that? i've not found much online...)

- to become a real coupon lady ;-)

(i had my first every "saved more than i spent" moment this week. ok, so it was a dollar more saved than spent but STILL. can't wait to do more!)

- to make a killer mojito...strawberry or otherwise!

- to eventually have a savings account again...

- to find some adorable pajama pants soon. i heart pajama pants.

- to run/walk the neighborhood soon. but it's so HOT...so

- to wiifit more often :) i'm averaging 3x a week or so (and actually seeing results!) but i'd rather do daily if possible.

lost

last night i found myself helping to lead worship at a midweek service

which is always a nice pick-me-up

especially when i'm leading with some of my favorite people :)

michael, my friend who lead the service, found this video on youtube and played it at the beginning of the service.

he began it with simple words on the screen:

"a guy walking the streets of new york just can't stop himself from praising"

and then the video. WOW.

there's such simplicity here. a guy walking around listening to his ipod...but there's something rising in him that's so organic, so fresh, so come up to the top, that he can't stop himself.

it made me wonder. as i looked around the room and watched people react to the video

when did they last get so lost in worship that they just couldn't stop themselves from praising?

when's the last time *I* did?

what's wrong with us if we don't lose ourselves more often?

it doesn't have to look like anything spectacular. in fact, it often doesn't.

for me, the last time it happened was monday night at a 20s/30s worship event i attend every week. at the end of the service we all went forward to pray and worship just...happened. i found myself singing at the top of my lungs--some unknown song--and not caring one bit if anyone heard me or didn't.

i've seen people take different postures of worship, use different languages to praise, and just stand and silently weep.

i'm known to lose myself in worship in my car...which doesn't always work out financially but it always brings me to a new level (seriously: go read the story. it's especially meaningful for me to remember it now with the events of the last few months...)

all of this to say...lose yourself today. or tomorrow. or sunday morning at church. or...whenever. just spend some time being so carried away by His presence that you can't.do.anything.else.

and then...would you share with me or someone? it would be a great encouragement!

(oh yeah, and here's the video--watch! conveniently located right next to my music player so you can turn it off...i SO planned that...ok, i didn't :)

Thursday's Ten: lora is

something i like to do once in awhile -- and i thought, hey why not? this way you all can play if you want.

simply google (or blackle -- it's the 'green' google!) your first name and the word "is"...it's funny to see what comes up. i always thought i'd get nothing since my first name isn't the common spelling, but guess what? here 10 i got...

1. Lora is one of the 51 union councils of Abbottabad District in the North-West Frontier Province of Pakistan

(who knew?!)

2. LORA is a great place to get away from all the worries of every day life

(i don't know about a place, but i'm willing to look for a place with you!)

3. Watch LORA IS BIG and hundreds of other videos about gym, biceps, buff, amazon, women, muscular, bodybuilder, female, tall, sports.

(ummm...)

4. Lora is a seasoned trial lawyer

(where's that seasoned trial lawyer salary?)

5. LORA is available at all hours

(yeah, pretty much)

6. Lora is a solo handbell performing artist

(funny, i've actually played handbells several times in my life but have no aspirations of going solo!)

7. lora is dead

(not last time i checked, which is now)

8. lora is eagerly awaiting lunch because

(generally speaking this is true)

9. Lora is known online

(by you guys at least!)

10. Lora is a certified world-class shmoozer

(hmmm)

and your bonus:

LORA is one of my top 100 of 100% Hot Chick!!!

(well, duh)

so? you KNOW you want to play. join in!