A New Journey

Oh my friends, I'm beyond thrilled to make an announcement here on my blog!  I've shared it with a few close friends (I'm sure those following me on Pinterest have started to figure it out as well), but I know the power of prayer, so I wanted to share my announcement and ask that you join me in prayer as we prepare for this next journey that God is leading us on!

I've prayed and visited with some of my closest friends about trying to figure out God's purpose for this journey over the last two years of getting healthy, growing closer to God and becoming the wife and mother God has called me to be (which is obviously still a work in progress).  I know God works all things for His glory, but it's difficult at times to see His plan and to be patient for His timing.

Friends, this world we live in can be a bit scary and quite frankly it scares me at times as a parent.  My hearts desire is to seek God's wisdom in raising these kids.  Over the last 8 months or so, I've absolutely loved working with kids.  Whether it's been through our AWANA program, substituting for Sunday school classes or helping in Kylee's class at school.  There's just something about working with these kids that brings true joy to my heart.  I was asked one day to do 'story time' during AWANA for the Sparks group and I shared a fun devotion about how running physically is quite similar to running spiritually.  I had so much fun sharing with these kids and they seem to enjoy the lesson too.

Well a few weeks ago, God laid it on my heart to develop a Christ centered girls running group!  It really is in its infant stages right now.  I'm still praying about it, working on the devotions/object lessons, naming the group, and working out all of the details.  It will probably take over a year to work out all of the details, but I'm SO incredibly excited to see God work through this!  The purpose of this group will be to teach girls (ages 8-12) over an 8 week period (meeting twice a week) about spiritual and physical health through devotions, team building games, health tips and coaching them to run a 5k.  I'm clearly not an expert, but I am on fire for Jesus in this adventure and pray I learn and grow right along with these girls!

One goal before kicking off this program is to coach my sweet girl through running her first 5k.  Needless to say Miss Ky will be my guinea pig.  I simply asked her this afternoon when she wanted to start running and she was so excited to say 'TODAY.'  Needless to say we grabbed our 'Kid's couch to 5k program' and headed to the treadmill (the weather is a bit ugly today to do anything outside).

When Kylee handed me her little clipboard, she had this sweet sticky note on it.  I just love it!

I remember having this exact feeling after completing day 1 of the couch to 5k program two years ago! If I needed some affirmation about this girls group, I think it's in this little girls face!!!

Baby girl, I'm so excited to go on this new journey with you.  Ky grabbed her iPhone to listen to some music while she ran (she's watched Mommy too much) and she was so excited about the song she had picked out to start her run with... 'God Girl' by Jamie Grace.  This song is very near to both Kylee and I.  She absolutely loves the song, I love the message and Kylee has touched my heart with this song when I hear her sing it at the top of her lungs while she's in the shower or playing in her room.  Sing it girl!!!

With that... we have officially picked out the name of our group 'God Girls Run'.

Just this morning at church we heard a message about bringing God glory in all we do.  It was a great reminder to stay humble and focused on Him in all we do!

May we bring glory to God as we share His love to girls in our community through this journey!!!  I can't thank the sweet girlfriends who have already prayed for and encouraged us on this journey.  You are all such a blessing!

Thank you all in advance for praying for 'God Girls Run' and for allowing me to share this journey with you!

Blessings,

Krystal

From Bitterness to Gratefulness!

I've always heard how very different each child is, but never 'really' understood it until we had our little boy.  Oh, how I love this little boy.  He's extremely silly (trying at times), loves an audience (even when it's not appropriate) and is just down right funny!

Although, I absolutely love this little man and everything about his sweet personality, this post is a thank you on behalf of a little girls' Mama.

Just like with any child, some days can be hard and sometimes there are people who may unintentionally hurt our kids or us as parents, but if I've learned anything over the last couple of weeks, it's that life is short and forgiveness is crucial!  I just recently spent some time reflecting on all the different ways others' have blessed us through loving on our kids.  Miss Kylee is what most people would call 'shy.'  I prefer to refer to her personality as reserved and genuine.  Believe me, I know how frustrating it can be to speak to a reserved child and not get a response.  It's also been a challenge for us to teach her that it is okay to be reserved, but not okay to be impolite.  With that in mind though, I absolutely love seeing relationships form with Miss Kylee as she gets comfortable with someone and develops a very 'genuine' relationship.  I'm also so blessed to see the joy in other's when, after they've tried for so long, this little girl finally opens up to them or simply gives them a hug.

Here's a side of Miss Kylee that not everyone gets to see.  She has such a fun loving heart (thanks to the dear friend who made Kylee this hat to support a friend with breast cancer).

Another special side of Kylee is her love of music.  We pray that she continues to use this gift for God's glory and we greatly appreciate all who have encouraged her on this journey!

I love this little girl with all my heart and have a little thank you to some very special people...

• Thank you to our dear friend who has watched this sweet girl from the time she was just six weeks old.  You have helped shape and love on her like one of your own. 
• Thank you to the elderly man at church, who goes out of his way to say hi to her each and every Sunday, even when she just smiles back.
• Thank you to the sweet man at church who wouldn't let Kylee leave church until she gave him a hug after he's worked so hard to develop a friendship with her.
• Thank you to the sweet friends who brought Kylee flowers for her first piano performance at church, which was such a big day for her.  You touched this girls heart more than you could imagine.
• Thank you to the dear friend who spends time out of her week to teach Miss Kylee how to play the piano (and to the special guy who picks her up after school each week to take her).  She truly lights up every time she plays and absolutely loves this special time with you!
• Thank you to all of the teachers and staff at her school and church, who love on her.
• Thank you to our sweet photographer who ever so kindly and gently is able to capture the beauty and personality of Kylee.
• Thank you to the dear friend who went out of her way to give this sweet girl a piggy back ride through a derby track just to show this girl how much you love her.  She just recently requested that photo be hung in her bedroom and thinks so much of you!
• Thank you to this girls sweet aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents who love her for the special girl she is!
• Thank you God for loaning this special girl to us!  We pray that You continue to give us the wisdom and encouragement daily to help her grow to love and trust You!

This list could go on and on and on to all the countless people who have showed their love to this sweet girl with countless acts of kindness.  Each and every one of you has not only made a lasting impression with this girl, but you've touched her Mama too!  May God bless each and every one of you.  May God continue to teach me to love my children just as they are and just as He designed them!  It is inevitable that at some point someone will hurt our children (typically unintentionally), when (not if) that happens I challenge you to quickly forgive and reflect on the many people and times that someone has loved on your child.  It will quickly change your heart from bitterness to gratefulness!

Blessings,

Kylee's Mama

Just need a little break!

Sorry I haven't been writing much lately, sometimes we just need a little break to just experience life and experience God for a while.  My little girl and I also need a little break and just enjoy some precious time together.  So I took off from work a little early, picked up my girl and headed to Buffalo Mountain Pottery to do some painting!

Kylee just loves anything that's related to music and art!  She may discover other things that she enjoys but for now, these are the types of things that she just loves.  She is typically a little reserved and quiet in some situations, and music and art have helped give her confidence.

Kylee was on a mission to paint something for her Nana for her birthday.  At first she was going to paint a plate, but then she saw a horse and just knew Nana would love it.  Her Nana taught her how to ride bareback just a few weeks ago, which made this piece just perfect!

I really struggled on deciding what to paint.   I'm in the process of redecorating our home office/reading area to be full of running inspiration.  It's the place I sit to scrapbook, blog, schedule my workouts and enjoy my quiet time.  I'll be finding ways to encourage and inspire myself and my entire family through our love of running.  I'll be displaying all of our medals, bibs, pictures of us all running, scripture, etc.  I thought it only fitting to make a platter with one of my favorite verses to display in our new running inspired office/reading area.  I'm not very creative, but it's more about the journey and this special time with my daughter!

Kylee really enjoyed picking colors and getting started on her horse!

The conversation was so sweet and we even enjoyed just the quiet while we both painted!

We'll have to schedule another time to go finish our projects and just force ourselves to enjoy some more time together!  I love you Ky and love these special moments with you baby girl!

Stay tuned... we'll share our finished projects when they're done!

Blessings,

Krystal

  

Asking Forgiveness from Your Child

After completing our first race as a family and watching her mommy and daddy run in different races, our six year old little girl has started to have an interest in running.  And wow, has that made her mommy smile. I've really struggled with the balance of how to encourage her to stay active and healthy without pushing too hard and realizing that just because I enjoy running doesn't mean that either of my kids will. Deep down though, I would love to enjoy this together as a family. 

My Mom treated Miss Ky with some new running clothes last week so after she got home she was anxious to give them a try. Of course I know exactly how that feels. New gear always makes the next run a little more fun and exciting. While we were getting ready for the day on Monday Ky did what she typically does and asked how my run went and how far I ran (I love it when she inquires about my run). I told her that I did a different workout but would be running on Tuesday. She then asked if we could go for a run after work.  Of course I couldn't turn her down and agreed to a mile run after work on Monday. 

It was extremely hot, but we decided to venture outside (first mistake).  Josh and Jayce were out cruising around on the RZR and snapped a couple pictures of us. 

This was still at the beginning of our run so we were both feeling pretty good, but that changed when were about half way. Ky needed to walk, so we did, I then made a huge mistake. I started pushing her too hard to finish the run strong. This poor little girl was really hot, tired and frustrated. I should have let her just finish walking home but I told her she was strong and could finish the run. She cried a little bit and then we finished. After we finished the mile we walked the rest of the way home and I began to feel horrible. What should have been fun and enjoyable just turned into something she may never do again simply because of how I pushed her too hard. 

We did have smiles at the end, but we still had some mending of our hearts that needed to take place. 

I prayed for wisdom and guidance that evening as I began tucking my little girl into bed. I love God's grace and life lessons. I had to humble myself and apologize to my little girl for pushing her too hard and asked her to forgive me. She quickly said "of course I forgive you, mamma."  As a parent it can be difficult to apologize to your child, but God can do some amazing things during these times.  There was a tremendous relief both for her and for me. I then suggested to Kylee that if she wanted to go for a run together again that maybe we should do it in the morning while it's cool outside. She thought that was a great idea, and I was just excited that she actually wanted to run again!  God's grace is amazing!

We decided we would run together early Wednesday morning (after I finished my Turbo Fire workout), which meant she would have to go to bed early Tuesday night. I had her lay out her clothes and shoes so that it would be quick and easy for her to get ready when she woke up!

  

She woke this morning SO excited to run. She said she didn't want to listen to music while we ran so that we could talk. What a blessing this child is. I told her she could decide if we walk or run and I would not push her at all. The conversation we had was so sweet and genuine. We only stopped once as her shoe came untied otherwise we ran the entire time. After we reached the half mile mark she said 'I think I can run farther than a mile today.'  I said 'we sure can if that's what you want to do.'  We ran 1.26 miles but the true joy came from the mended relationship and the blessing of running beside my precious little girl!  

She truly enjoyed this run and so did I!

She was so proud of her accomplishment too. I love how running makes you feel good when you go a little further or a little faster than you did before. Great job Ky, your Mama is so very proud of you!

But then the REAL joy came. Kylee saw an absolutely beautiful sunrise. She said 'Mama, it looks as if God is shining down through the clouds.'  I said, 'He is baby.'  While sharing with my husband about our morning, we discovered that Kylee's never seen the sun rise like this before. She's typically not a morning person and the sun is usually up before she wakes up.  I'm so excited I got to share this special morning with her and am praising God for His grace every morning and for choosing me to be her mother!  

Have you ever shared a sunrise with your child?

Ephesians 2:4-9 
⁴But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, ⁵made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions-it is by grace you have been saved. ⁶And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, ⁷in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. ⁸For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-⁹not by works, so that no one can boast.

Blessings,

Krystal

Fitness became my idol!

If you've been following my blog, you probably already know that I used to suffer a lot from migraines.    My mother has suffered from them for quite some time as well, so I'm sure it's partially hereditary.  Most of my migraines would come right after a stressful period.  I remember back when we went on our first flight with both of the kids a few years ago.  I was so stressed about getting everything caught up and ready at work, getting the packing done, anticipating what the kids would need on the trip, and the list goes on and on.  We finally got everything packed and arrived at the hotel close to the airport and I was FINALLY able to relax and then the dreaded happened, I got a migraine.  It was horrible as I wasn't at home, didn't have any medication with me, started to panic over the worries of recovering before our flight the next morning, it was just awful.  I did recover and we were able to continue our trip, but it was definitely a rough start.

I was so excited when after running for several months, I realized I was no longer getting migraines.  The balance between improving my health and a way to manage the stress of life, was eliminating them completely.  Over the course of this last year God has taught me a lot about priorities, making rest and sleep a priority, improving my eating habits (and that of my families), scheduling my workouts and not skipping them, and most importantly to seek Him during the difficult times.

Running has definitely become a huge part of managing my stress.  It's an incredible way for me to clear my head, stay fit, spend time in prayer and challenge myself.  Some of you may remember me posting about having a really bad run a few weeks ago.  I had given blood the day before and my body had not recovered before trying to run eight miles.  I was so discouraged and began panicking about running my first half marathon race.  After a good friend saw my post she wanted to do something to encourage and support me on this journey.  There's nothing that supports a runner more than prayer and a run!  It was so kind and encouraging and was just what I needed.  We invited other running/walking pals and got together early Wednesday morning before my big race.  I also asked my husband if it would be okay to invite my little girl to join us and let me just say this little girl was SO excited!!!

I can't thank all of these ladies enough for running with me!  It was a beautiful morning and I was so touched by how God was using each and every one of these ladies to touch my heart!  A great support system is so incredibly valuable for any goal we set in life!  Thank you Lori for putting this together and thank you ladies for inspiring and encouraging me!  I pray that I can be the same encouragement to someone else!

I experienced a great amount of encouragement and peace immediately after this run.  I was FINALLY to the point of not feeling nervous or stressed about the half marathon.  I had been over thinking and stressing about this big day for weeks.  I was ready to just relax and enjoy the experience.  Kylee and I then headed home so that I could shower and get ready for work.  Right after I got out of the shower the dreaded happened... I started seeing spots.  I couldn't believe it, I was getting a migraine.  I had been so excited to be done with migraines and couldn't believe I was getting one.  I immediately took the medication I have to decrease the symptoms, laid down for about 15 minutes and then tried to go to work.  I quickly realized that it wasn't a good idea to try and work and the symptoms were getting much worse.  I headed home and went through the painful motions of getting through a migraine.  That evening I finally felt better.  After eating with my family, my dear husband wanted to talk about my stressed induced migraine.  He reminded me that running had been a way for me to deal with stress and as the race began approaching it BECAME my stress.  Clearly this was a dangerous combination and one I have to learn how to manage or I won't be able to continue racing.

Just a few weeks ago I was chatting with a dear friend about how working out, fitness, losing weight, etc. can become our idol.  I praise God for that precious conversation as it helped put things in perspective for me.  God definitely used this migraine to convict me of this very issue.  I don't regret signing up for the half marathon, or improving my health and fitness, but I do know that I need to be more aware of the necessity for balance and not to let it become an idol as it did in these last couple weeks.  I found myself focusing much more on this big day than other important areas in my life, including time in God's word, valuable time with my husband and kids, and just not taking the time to praise God for what He's done in my life.  As you all know the first two big goals I set for myself on this journey was to run my first half marathon and to lose 25 pounds... my next goal, for the next 6 months I will spend as much time in prayer and in God's word as I do working out.  That's actually a pretty big order as I'm hoping to run another half marathon in the fall and you all know some of my long runs take a good amount of time.  My prayer is that it will help me keep my priorities in order, manage my stress level, develop a new perspective for my journey and simply draw me closer to God!  God has been so incredibly faithful through this journey and I'm excited to see what He has in store for this next year!

Stay tuned for my race recap from the big day!!!

Blessings,

Krystal

First Family Race Recap

After our kids have watched and supported Josh and I several times, our oldest has been asking to run in a race.  When we heard about a local 5k/1 mile walk/run race we were so excited to sign up as a family.    Living in a small town there aren't too many local races so we like to take advantage of them when we can!  The kids were so cute last night when I told them they had to go to bed early so that they were rested up for their race.  This morning we woke up, fixed breakfast together and then everyone got into their running gear, laced up their shoes and off we went!

It definitely wasn't a typical day in June in Colorado.  It was so windy and only about 50 degrees.  When Kylee heard the wind this morning she started complaining about not wanting to run in the wind and honestly I didn't either.  It was a great teachable moment though as we had a little talk about following through with our commitments regardless of the weather.  We also talked about how when you sign up for a race you never know what kind of weather you're going to end up running in, but you still show up and give it your best and praise God for the day!

We all got our bibs pinned on and we were ready to run (and to warm up). 

Some friends of ours were running their first race as a family too.  It was so much fun sharing this special morning with them!  I ended up running with Kylee and the boys all ran together.  I love how they were holding hands.  I heard that they may have crashed along the way too, oops! :)

As Kylee and I turned around at the half way point we saw Josh and Nate carrying the little boys on their shoulders, it was so cute!  I wasn't able to take a picture of them while we were running but had to snap one at the end of the race!  Great job guys!

I was so proud of Miss Kylee.  She struggled a couple times but kept pushing on and ran the entire mile with me in 11:35.  She even finished 1st in the 1 mile division.  I loved how she sprinted through the finish line.  After we finished she now understands the fun and excitement of a race regardless of your time or placing and is already asking to run another race.  We also had a sweet conversation with both of our kids on the way home about what the purpose of a race is.  It's not about winning, it's about getting exercise, enjoying time with others who enjoy running and enjoy being outside!     

I hope this is just the first of many special family runs!!! Thanks to Lifestyle Chiropractic & Fitness for putting on a fun run this morning!  We appreciate all your effort to encourage families to be active.

Blessings,

Krystal

Our First Family Picture

It's throw back Thursday time!  Here's our first family picture 6 weeks after Miss Kylee was born, 6 1/2 years ago (and 30+ pounds ago).  Next to receiving Jesus as my savior and marrying my best friend, becoming a mom was definitely the next best day of my life.  Looking back at these pictures reminds me of the incredible journey this has been both physically, spiritually and emotionally!  

God is SO good!!!

Blessings,

Krystal