the lesson I learned from a 2nd grader

It was a simple questions:

"What is Jesus teaching you right now and how are you putting that into practice?"

Our pastor had said one simple question yesterday and it seemed it smack me hard in the face.  Let me tell you why.  I'm good at reading my bible, checking off the verses on my Bible App, writing down key things to remember, but I found my weakness.  Application.  Practice.  Putting it all together.  

So last night as I was thinking over and over again about this simple question, it came to me quite quickly what God is teaching me and how I need to put it into practice.  I'm just loving the current SheReadsTruth study on James.  Oh, James.  This is one of my absolute favorite chapters in the bible.  It is thick with everything I want and need in my life.  And this verse keeps playing over and over in my head:

"be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger"

James 1:19

This verse keeps catching me up.  Just when you think you have everything going well, God has this funny way of showing you exactly where your weakness lies.  But He does this for a beautiful reason, because He loves us and wants us to grow deeper into Him.  So the times when I want to tell my husband or call me mom and vent about the latest need to stop.  The times when all I can do is find the one thing someone did wrong instead of the many things they did right need to stop.  The way that the littlest thing can rub me the wrong me need to stop.  And instead, I need to hear.  Hear God's word, His voice, and hear the other person as well.  

God showed me just how beautiful life is when I received the sweetest note from two of my students.  They instantly reminded me how far kind words go over the nagging, complaining, and all of those things that get in the way.  So thank you, sweet second graders of mine, for showing me the power of positive words instead of thoughts that bring you down.  

{via}

running the Temecula 5k

Sunday morning the alarm went off at 4:40am, and I was already awake!  I know that this seems crazy but I was eager to get up and throw on some running clothes to run the Temecula 5k.  It reminded me of getting ready for the half-marathons that I have run in the past, and the rush of memories made me truly miss those runs.  As much as I miss training and long-runs, I'm pretty pleased with how much my body has been able to keep up with running in general throughout this pregnancy.  And the benefits I've reaped because of it have made this pregnancy truly amazing.  

My friend Colleen ran the half-marathon, and Molly ran the 5k with me because she's recovering from being sick.  We got up to Temecula at 6:30am and froze our buns off for a bit, but the most beautiful sight emerged.  Hot air balloons were taking off in the field right next to our race!  The race was held at   Wilson Creek Winery, and this was definitely an amazing place to hold a race.  

The course was super hilly, and there were times that I wanted to walk but I kept pushing through.  Who knew that running 3 miles could really wipe you out!  I ran the 5k in exactly 30:00.  My initial reaction was to be a little disappointed with my pace, but then I had a reality check.  Hey, I'm 7 1/2 months pregnant, I ran the entire time, passed a lot of people along the way, and conquered those hills!  Thank you, reality check! 

Molly and I were able to make it back to the finish line to watch the half-marathoners come in, and who did I see?  Bobbi!  Pretty much the one blogger that I'm completely enamored with, and I got up the guts to talk to her!  She is the sweetest, and it was such a pleasure meeting her! 

Can I just say that my friend, Colleen, is an animal!  She ran a full marathon in Utah two weeks ago, and pushed through this challenging course.  Such an inspiration! 

This was baby's first 5k, and it most definitely won't be the last!  I'm already trying to plan which half-marathon to run first to get me back in shape after having the baby! 

{virtual} coffee date

Happy Saturday lovelies!  I must admit that if we were having coffee this morning I would truly hope that it was coming from Peet's Coffee or The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf.  Better yet, why don't we find a cute, quaint coffee shop and just bask in its adorableness?  Starbucks is just not my fav, and all I want lately is coffee from the cutest coffee shop that was right by my house in college I frequented quite often. 

If we were having coffee this morning... I'd share that I'm pretty proud of the fact that I started Christmas shopping already!  This is a very rare act for me, but when you have a baby due ON Christmas day, it makes you start planning just a bit ahead.  And so far I am in love with the gifts I have found.  

I truly love being able to support small businesses, and blogging and helped me to find amazing shops to support.  This year the Mr. and I both agreed we want to give gifts with meaning.  Whether that mean the gift is meaningful to that person, or we are supporting a small shop or cause with our purchase.  Lisa Leonard is always one of my favorites! 

If we were having coffee this morning... I'd share that I'm obsessed with these leggings and am pretty sure our little peanut needs a pair!  I've been trying really hard not to buy anything for him, and so far am pretty proud of my efforts.  

If we were having coffee this morning... I'd share that my husband is truly the greatest.  I would like to say "for some reason", but I'm pretty sure we know what that reason is, I've been more emotional lately.  And in the first two weeks we have been official "homeowners" we started a couple of projects.  Projects that seemed seamlessly easy.  Well, we have bad luck!  I'd like to say that we're the "third time's a charm" couple because it takes us either three trips to the store for a different part, three attempts to hand something, three days to install this or that, etc. 

 So far we have upgraded the kitchen faucet and one of the bathroom faucets.  At one point last week, every faucet in my house was out of commission because the Mr. would get stuck with a part he needed or didn't know what to do.  Then, the dresser we wanted for the nursery arrived.  As we began assembling it we came to find that one of the main parts was cracked in half!  So we ended up with a dresser that is half-way put together, a nursery that is still disheveled, and two long hours on the phone with customer service this week.  

Needless to say, God is definitely teaching me patience and he has provided me with one truly amazing husband who seems to always have some extra patience for me.  Honestly, I can't fully describe how grateful I am for him! 

If we were having coffee this morning... I'd share that I just got the cookbook It's All Good and am dying to drive on into every recipe!  The recipes look very simple, yet clean and fresh at the same time. My body is craving some clean eats, and this cookbook is sure to do the trick.  Bobbi is doing a challenge to try every recipe in the book in 365 days and I'm contemplating joining in on the action! 

If we were having coffee this morning... I'd share that there have been some moments this week where it has been hard to give my body grace.  I've felt a little extra bigger than normal (although this picture is deceiving), and I'm also very tired so working out is tough.  I'm still getting in 4 workouts a week, but seeing the changes have been a bit hard to swallow lately.  I'm praying that God's love and grace will wash over me and allow me to focus on the this beautiful miracle He has given us.  And can I also admit that there are times when it still feels surreal?  I'm having a baby.  In 10 weeks.  And it is still sinking in! 

If we were having coffee this morning... I'd tell you that I'm super excited because I was accepted as an ambassador for For Two Fitness!  Staying fit and healthy are so important to me, and I decided to go out on a limb and apply.  When I read the email, I had to reread it over and over again.  It is such a blessing to see what happens when you finally just get the guts to do something!  A blog post will definitely be coming soon about that my dears! 

If we were having coffee this morning...I'd share that today the Mr. and I are driving up to Huntington Beach to visit his college friend, Andrew, and his super sweet girlfriend.  We're meeting up for lunch and I'm pretty excited to take a drive with my better half and just have some fun together!