Day 1: A Fruitful Day

Today was the day of fruit. Aldi came in really handy yesterday for all of my fruit needs with their amazing prices.

I started my morning by eating a bowl full of cantaloupe. I discovered that I'm not good at cutting cantaloupe, and I reverted to just scooping out pieces of fruit for my breakfast.

Cantaloupe and mint tea

I'm also trying to keep track of how much this is costing me so that I can compare it to what I usually spend on groceries. As you see, my total at Aldi yesterday was $51.61.

I had a laid back morning. I went to a garage sale down the road and bought a lamp (I'll post it once I find a lampshade for it). I also bought two of the Harry Potter special edition DVDs for $2 a piece. 

When I got home it was time for a snack. I ate an orange and a green apple and drank a huge glass of water. 

Jason and I went to see the Hunger Games movies a couple of weeks ago and he bought me one of the large souvenir cups. You'll see that my Hunger Games cup has been my best friend today so that I'm able to fill up on water. 

When lunchtime came around, I was legitimately excited about the fruit medley I was planning to have.  

My colorful lunchtime fruit medley

Lunch consisted of:

10 Strawberries

1 Chopped Green Apple

1 c. frozen berries from Aldi (no sugar added)

30 Grapes 

This medley was good, but the green apple didn't fit as well as I'd hoped. 

It was time for me to run a few errands. One stop I made was to the Walmart Neighborhood Market. I really dislike going into Walmart on Saturdays, so I usually try my hardest to stick to the neighborhood market. I picked up a couple of random items that I needed, as well as some spinach leaves, an onion, and some herbal tea for this week. I also picked up some pre-cut melons since I realized how bad I am at cutting cantaloupe this morning. 

When I got home, it was time for another snack.

Snack time consisted half of my melon tray, an orange, some grapes, and there's a red apple down there somewhere. I also drank some of my new herbal tea. 

I documented my receipt from Walmart, but since I bought some other random items, I need to go through and subtract those from the total. 

I tried to hold off on dinner until close to 7:00 because I was afraid I would get hungry again before bed. Dinner consisted of basically the same thing as my lunch except a few more strawberries, mixed berries, and I traded the green apple for a red apple. I also lost count of my grapes. 

Dinner time with my Hunger Games cup

Dinner:

18 Strawberries

1.5 c. mixed berries from Aldi (no sugar added)

1 chopped red apple

Grapes

I was feeling really good about everything until about 8:30 tonight. I had a friend over and we were watching Midnight in Paris (great movie by the way), and my head started hurting. By the end of the movie I was feeling pretty weak and my stomach felt very hungry, but kind of bloated (sorry for the details, it was a really odd feeling). Honestly, I was ready to throw in the towel, delete my blog post from last night, and head to Chick-fil-A. 

My friend MK is a nurse and knows a lot about nutrition and food...and let's just face it...she's my personal nurse. I asked her what she thought about it and she said to stick with it. She suggested another apple, more water, and some tea. 

After she left, I cut up another green apple and ate a few grapes as well. I also fixed a huge Hunger Games glass of water and some sleepytime herbal tea. 

I instantly felt like I'd come back to life. My head still is hurting just a little bit, but I'm hoping that more water will make that go away here in the next few minutes. 

Overall, today has been great. I am excited about the end result. I keep telling myself that people do things like this all the time. I also keep thinking about people who fast and pray for days at a time. I know that my body is just confused because I haven't had any protein in over 24 hours. 

Well, fruit day is complete and tomorrow is veggie day! All I can think about is how weird breakfast will be tomorrow.

Leave your comments. I'd love feedback or to answer any specific questions you may have if you're interested in this cleanse. 

Science Nerd (not so much...)

I've never liked science...at least not the normal definition of science. I always dreaded classes like chemistry and biology. But in the last couple of years, I've become increasingly interested in nutrition, exercise, and sciences that I would consider practical.

Becoming interested in nutrition was inevitable. When I was 16 I found out that I'm borderline diabetic and basically I can control this condition with diet and exercise. Since I'm only five feet tall and I'm borderline diabetic, I have obviously always struggled with my weight.

Ironically, the thing that I have never liked about science is that it's so black and white. I like the gray area of things. That is why I'm drawn to writing, design, photography, and all around the creative things in life. So of course the one type of science that I'm actually interested in is probably the grayest area of science that I know of (not that I know many other types of science...after chemistry, biology, and anatomy, I'm out).

It's supposed to be simple: put bad things in your body, you gain weight and put good things into your body, you lose weight.  Makes sense, right?

As we all know, it's not that simple.

So here I am, 5 months before my wedding, and I have some work to do. I'm aware that I am my worst critic. I'm aware that my fiancé thinks I'm great the way I am. I'm aware that it's totally and completely cliche to try to lose all the weight I've been wanting to lose for years before I get married. But why not now?

I want to be happy in my own skin and I want to feel good about myself on my wedding day.

So I've created a Plan of Action (POA) that begins on April 21st.

I'm going to begin with a seven day cleanse to kind of jump start the process. I've done a lot of research on these things, and I've selected a cleanse that I think is feasible and healthy for me and what I'm trying to accomplish.

Tomorrow I will begin Day 1 and I will update my blog about it each day.

Today was my prep day.

I forgot my recyclable bags. 

I hit up the produce section of Aldi in an effort to do this cleanse on a budget. I spent about $50 today at Aldi, but I do have a few more items that I'll need to pick up tomorrow at Publix.

I'm predicting that I'll spend about the same amount on groceries this week. I typically spend between $50 and $70 for breakfast, lunch, and dinner for four days of food. This will actually cover three meals a day for seven days.

I prepared for Day 1 by arranging my fruit in a very appetizing display.

Guest appearance from our first wedding gift salad bowl

Then I headed off to the Lebanese Food and Cultural Festival downtown. The food was great, and the company was great, but the dancing was incredible.

Check back tomorrow to see how Day 1 goes! 

Chasing Rabbits

You're probably thinking, "Great, 'chasing rabbits' is just another way to say I'm going to ramble on and on and on. I think I'll skip out on this post." And you're probably right. But, the story I'm about to tell did happen on Easter weekend, and it's just poetic irony that I'm could potentially define the meaning of "chasing rabbits" in this blog post. But please, read on! This is my most exciting post yet. And you never know, it could end up being short and sweet :) ...but probably not.

The day before Easter, Jason worked in our hometown. He travels with Casting Crowns doing their merchandise and they were playing at the local arena here in Birmingham. I was so excited because it was the first Saturday we've been in the same town since we've been engaged. I packed a bag full of snacks and different weighted cardigans and I headed up to the BJCC where the concert would be taking place that night.

I tried to strategically arrive when Jason was ending the set up process (Sidenote: If you are going to a concert in the future, please appreciate all of the crew members and band members that make it possible. They were 12-16 hour days to make the experience perfect for you and they usually don't get to have their families with them).  So I arrived around lunchtime and just kind of hung around until it was time to go eat.

Over the last year and a half, I've become pretty familiar with a lot of the guys Jason tours with. So as we walked around we said hi to people, we (but mainly I) got asked how the wedding planning was going, and I just had a nice time getting to see everyone Jason lives with out on the road.

After lunch, we returned to the arena and Jason took my purse to the crew dressing room so I didn't have to lug it around with me all day. While I was waiting for him, I was leaning up against a wall just kind of halfway paying attention to what was going on around me.

The security woman who works for the building was sitting there by the backstage/dressing room area entrance. She was very friendly and heard us talking about eating at Surin West (our favorite little Thai place downtown). We'd gone there for lunch, but I guess she assumed we were from out of town and we hadn't eaten yet. She offered me a BOGO coupon for Surin, which was so thoughtful. I told her that we actually live in Birmingham, and I had the same coupon that we were able to use for our lunch. She said that Jason looked familiar, then Jason came out of his dressing room, I said thank you for the coupon offer, and we went on our way. Little did I know, my interaction with her was just beginning.

Later that afternoon, Jason and I walked by the same security guard and there was another crew guy talking to her. Jason leaned over and whispered to me, "I bet he's sharing the gospel with her." I asked why he thought that and this is how he responded: "He shares the gospel with at least one person every day."

My response: "I need to be more like that guy."

His name was John Fry. He's an older-teenager who travels with the band and just loves sharing the gospel with people that he meets on the road. 

A little while later, Jason and I were going to go get coffee so I needed my purse. While I was waiting outside of the dressing room again, John Fry was still talking to the security guard. She seemed so engaged and was asking questions. I was trying not to creep on the conversation too much, but I really wanted to just stand there and listen. About a minute later, the security guard's relief came and she went on her break.

I stood there as John Fry walked around the corner and waiting for her to come back. I stood there and prayed that she would receive the truth that John Fry was telling her and the she would come to know Jesus as her Savior right then and there. I teared up and had to stop myself from crying. I could feel how powerful the Word of God is while I was just standing there.

Well, Jason came out of his dressing room and we walked back up to the merch booth.

A few hours passed and Jason got radioed to come down to the side of the stage during the show. So we walked down there and one of the other crew members asked if we could meet this woman who John Fry shared the gospel with. She had just become a believer! They wanted to introduce Jason and me to her officially since we're local and we're plugged in to a local church. Jason sent me up to get some CDs for her and a few minutes later we were introducing ourselves, talking about churches in the area, talking about concerts and her job, and finally, I gave her my phone number.

I told her that she better call me. She is single and she said that she just needs friends to do things with. I explained to her that I live here and my fiancé travels for work so I'm alone a lot too. I've been praying for her, and I hope so badly that she calls!

The next morning Jason and I met at my car to go to church. This was my first holiday away from home, and I was nervous about being lonely. Even though Jason and I would be together I was worried because I'm from a large family so holidays are big events for us. So, to ensure that Jason and I would not be lonely, and to serve our church, I volunteered us to help with the preschoolers during church.

Jason and I were ready for the three-year-old class that we were assigned to. We had the craft ready, our Spring colors on, and we had read over all of the material. When we arrived, there was one kid to every adult, so we got sent to the baby room.

Now, Jason is an only child. And even though I'm the oldest child and have younger siblings, they're in high school. I've done some baby sitting here and there over the years, but not very recently. I'm sure that when we walked in the door to the baby room, our two sets of eyes looked like big brown golf balls.

I'm pretty sure Jason has never held a baby before. As soon as we walked in, they made Jason a "walker". That meant that he walked a stroller with two babies in it around the lobby area so that they wouldn't cry. Jason gladly accepted so that he had a job to do, but that also meant that if anything went wrong, he was all alone.

I stayed behind to help the other volunteers. I offered to make a bottle for one of the babies, but I made it wrong. It seemed like every time I held a baby, they cried. It didn't take long before I became a walker too (now that I think about it, they made me a walker after I told them Jason and I are engaged and we do not have kids).

All in all, being with the babies was a great experience. We got to serve our church. We got to play with babies. And we realized that we definitely want to wait a little while before we have our own babies.

We ended our independent Easter by attended the evening service at church. How incredible it was to worship our Savoir after such an eventful weekend!

Although we didn't partake in any of the usual Easter "festivities", I truly believe that our weekend was better for it. We were able to serve the Lord this holiday weekend and focus on His Son and what He did for us on the cross.

So,  no we did not end up chasing rabbits this weekend, but we do know that at least one person is no longer running. 

A Good Friday Indeed

Do you ever have those Mondays when you get to work, sit back at your desk, and think, "Whoah, I could totally take a nap right now?" Well, that was me this morning...after my dentist appointment.

Don't get me wrong, the weekend was oodles of fun and was everything I could have hoped for in my first holiday weekend away from home. So rather than taking you through a long drawn out explanation and giving your a report called "What I did on Easter Weekend," I have pictures.

I started out on Friday, the morning of Good Friday, with a slow morning. I was dumb and forgot to turn off my weekday alarm clock, so I didn't really get to sleep in, but I did take the morning slow. I went to the YMCA and swam some laps (fortunately, I have no photos of this event). I thought I was going to drown because I literally have not been swimming for exercise the whole time Jason and I have been together...so at least a year and a half.

After I ate a little lunch, I headed out for my thrifting adventure. Jason left his Explorer here with me, so I was so excited I'd actually be able to buy stuff and take it with me. And I sure did take advantage of that! I started at some thrift stores close to home and then worked my way out. I picked up some little odds and ends including these windows. I'm hoping that they'll eventually look more like the other window frames I found...but I guess we'll see after a little bit of work. I also picked up some candle holders and vases that I was very pleased with. Everything together was less than $20.

Windows for $5 a piece.

What I would like window frames to look like.

I headed South about 15 miles to America's Thrift Store. Now, something to realize about me is that I absolutely love going to thrift stores, flea markets, antique stores, etc. But I love going for the deals. I get a little bit creeped out by the fact that everything has been used. Which is why, as much a I want to, I can't buy clothes from places like that. I just feel like I have other people touching me all the time, and I cannot live like that (I'm even starting to get a little bit anxious just thinking about it)! When I arrived at America's Thrift Store, I almost turned Dora the Explorer right around and head back to my cozy apartment that is clean and not germy. But I was brave. I went in, got a buggy, and got busy searching for furniture.

America's Thrift Store

After finding my buggy (it was sticky) I found these two matching night stands that were $30 for the set. They were in decent condition and really just need some TLC. I sent a picture to Jason, and he asked if I can, and I quote, "Make them cool". I said, "Yes sir, for $30 I can!" I'm sure the people of Alabaster are talking about the short girl trying to get the tables off the shelves and into a buggy. Two square wooden tables into one rectangular buggy. I'm not sure how I managed it, but I got both night stands in and headed off to the check out. Nightstands: Sold to the short, feisty brunette, who didn't put her hand sanitizer away the whole time.

Let's see if I can make these babies cool

After a day of thrifting adventures, it was time to head home, change, and get snacks together for Secret Church. If you haven't heard of Secret Church, you're missing out. It's basically a 6 hour (but more like 7 hour) bible study that my faith family puts on twice a year. It started out just something that our church did together to grow in the Word, but it has grown so much in the past 6 years that it was actually simulcasted to about 50,000 people this Friday through LifeWay (to learn more about Secret Church, visit the website here).

Over 200 pages of notes

I settled into my comfy church chair surrounded by my 3,000 best friends and got my pen ready to write. I've attended three other Secret Church sessions since my time in Birmingham, but this was by far the best. I missed having Jason there, but I was with some great friends. The topic was "The Cross and Suffering" which was so convicting, encouraging, and just all around good. I always forget how amazing it is to spend concentrated time studying the bible, praying for a persecuted people, and worshiping our Creator. It was definitely a Good Friday!

When I got home around 2:00 a.m., I found this: A WEDDING GIFT! I was way too tired to open it then, and I didn't want to open it without Jason, so I went to bed and decided that Arnold (that's what I named the box) could wait until the next day.

Our first wedding gift!

Saturday morning I woke up, dragged Arnold to my car, and headed off to to meet Jason. We were able to open the gift the in the parking lot and we were greeted with a beautiful wooden salad bowl from Jason's family. This is our first gift and we're already so blessed! What a whirlwind this Good Friday was...and the weekend had only just begun!

Let the countdown begin...

Jason proposing in the rain on Morris Ave.

So I must admit that I've been a little bit busy lately. Since the last time I've posted we've celebrated Christmas, brought in a new year, celebrated a couple of marketing holidays such as Valentine's Day, and we've dressed in all green for St. Patrick's day. Personally, I've celebrated all of these delightful holidays as well as been gone on a couple of mini vacations and the most exciting...I got engaged! Whoo!!!!

Today marks the six month countdown to our wedding! We'll be getting married on September 22, 2012...we'll say "I do" on September twenty-two! The last month and a half have been full of planning, creating, ordering, meeting, and re-planning. I've had a lot of people ask me almost sorrowfully, "How are the plans coming...?" and I guess I'm supposed to be really stressed out right now; but thankfully I'm not.

One of my sisters and I talked a bit this morning and I told her that I'm really not stressed with the plans and almost everything has been booked. Everything has really just come together easily. Carlee responded, "Well, that's how it's supposed to work. That's when you know it's right."

Obviously, I know that Jason and I are "right," and I've known that for a while, but hearing my sister say that our wedding and the little details are "right" seemed really encouraging to me.

As I write, I just glanced at the clock and realized that in exactly 6 months from now, I'll probably be saying my vows to my handsome groom. I cannot wait to be Mrs. Jessica Morales!

To find out information about our wedding, click here.

All Dressed Up

Sometimes I feel like this little guy. He's all dressed up and ready to take on the world.

I've  been out of college for about 7 months now. I've had a full-time job for about 5 months, and I'm enjoying this new phase of life to the absolute fullest. Sometimes it's scary and I undoubtedly dread every bill that comes in the mail, but I also find great joy and thankfulness when I write the checks that pay my bills. I'm truly blessed more than I deserve and more than I can even comprehend.

Yesterday, December 20th, I bought a car. I traded in my Jeep and I bought myself something a little newer and a little better on gas (YAY). I was beyond excited as I walked into the dealership to sign the papers. I walked in with my head held high ready to sign my name over and over again. I walked in feeling like an adult. I knew that it was a moment that would be a turning point of maturity for me. I was buying a car.

Then it happened. I had to sign something saying that I am at least 19 years old. The guy at the dealership stopped for a second, he looked at me a little closer, and then he said, "Wait, you are at least 19, right?"

Yes, yes, I am. That was not the first, nor will it be the last time someone mistakes me for being younger than I actually am. You know the saying, "All dressed up and no place to go?" Well, I kind of feel like the opposite. I feel like Little Dwight. I'm all dressed up, and I look like I have no where to go...

GO: Beyond Comfort

A little over a month ago I sent a letter to two members of my extended family. This letter was prompted by watching a complete stranger share his testimony and get baptized at church one Sunday evening. I believe it was also prompted by a unrest, or stirring in my soul to that would not subside until I reached out to these two people whom I love dearly.

The letter basically was asking about their salvation. I have grown up around these two individuals, but yet I'd never heard them say anything about salvation, God, being a believer, etc. Other than the occasional update that included involvement at church, God was not a topic that we really had discussed.

For the majority of my life, I always assumed that if someone went to church and was overall a "good" and "decent" person, they were a Christian. Even after I became a believer in 2009, the optimist within me wanted to believe that every smiling face I saw on Sunday mornings I would also spend eternity with. Through various conversations, prayer, and much contemplation, I realized that my thought process on this matter was probably a little backward.

I don't know the theology behind what to assume about someone you see in church, or if we should even assume anything about the state of someone's salvation, but one question I needed answered was this: If I assume that everyone I see at church, or that I know goes to church, is already a believer, am I doing them a disservice by failing to share the gospel with them? The answer I landed on: Yes.

Growing up in a small-ish town in Northwest Florida (or as we like to call it, L.A. which stands for "Lower Alabama"), I was surrounded by a lot of church-goin' people. When I went off to college, I was landed right in the heart of the bible belt in Birmingham, Alabama at a baptist university. I was blessed to attend such a wonderful university, but let's be honest, just about every new student had previously received the most involved superlative from their youth group back home and they were determined to receive the same award from whatever college ministry they got involved in. Honestly, that was one of my favorite things about college, so I'm not bashing it at all, but there is definitely good and bad that come with both of the cultures I've been engrossed in.


It is no secret that the Southeastern region of the United States is full of church-goin', God-lovin' people. The problem is that when we're immersed in such a culture, it's hard to distinguish who is truly a believer and who needs to hear and experience the gospel of Jesus Christ.


Such was the case with the two family members that I sent a letter to. Thankfully, I was able to talk to them in person about all of this about two weeks ago. Walking into a home that I am so familiar with and knowing that there was a very good chance I could thoroughly offend people who are so dear to me was extremely scary. But I just kept reminding myself that it's because they are so dear to me that I knew I couldn't avoid the topic.


As I reflect on this experience, I have zero regret. I still am not necessarily satisfied with the response that I got from my family members, but I did have the opportunity to share my testimony and the truth of the gospel with them.

May you, as a reader, be encouraged to speak truth into people each day. Whether they have believed in the gospel of Jesus Christ or if they have not, speak truth to them. Hopefully, if they already have a relationship with Christ, they will be encouraged and reminded of our mission in this world; if they don't, well, that's why we're here.  

"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."  - Matthew 28:19-20

We are to go.

Go to our families, our friends, our co-workers,  our church members, and even to strangers.

Go to our work place, our communities, our homes, and to the nations.

May your life and mine be for the glory of God.