My honey cooked all the meals on our winter camp-out. This was great. And delicious. When dinner is at eight p.m. and out-of-doors, and breakfast takes an hour to prepare you get really hungry.
And believe it or not, the sleeping was cozy. Rob made a nice little nest in our two-person tent and with the zipper closed and the many layers of covers I slept great.
Except for the snow/sleet bouncing off the tent.
And the bladder issue.
I knew we were sleeping at a state park. But I didn't think ahead on the more delicate details that might be involved i.e. that we had two choices for potty breaks...the woods....or the outhouse that was a quarter mile down the road. The solo adventurer was kind enough to drive me down to the outhouse after dark, after I realized that I didn't recall seeing any facilities and the only thing available was the woods. (I did mention the werewolves and the utter and complete darkness, the creepy trees...etc.etc.)
Let me just say the woods and I don't get along very well on a warm July camping trip when I'm only wearing one layer. Coordination is not a strong area for me. And any potty attempts in near freezing weather with my lack of coordination was recipe for disaster and hypothermia.
Through whining for now. I'll share the highlights of the hike on Monday.
Discover the 4 Keys to Get Fit in Body, Mind & Spirit
- Key #1: Revelation—fitness beliefs—let go of the lies and invade your spirit with the real
· Key #2: Declaration—fitness words—speak the right words to influence your mind, volition, and emotions
· Key #3: Application—fitness function—infuse healthy activity for your whole person
· Key #4: Manifestation—fitness lifestyle—increase your quality of life: spirit, soul, and body
Discover ancient secrets that break the cycle of fitness failure
In his new book, Getting in Shape God’s Way: 4 Keys to Making Any Diet or Fitness Plan Work, author and fitness expert Ron Kardashian reveals the neglected, ancient secrets to making everything else—proper nutrition, exercise, and other healthy principles—work. Kardashian is a certified strength and conditioning coach and a fitness expert with over a decade of experience who has logged over 11,000 hours of one-on-one consulting in the realm of physical fitness and life development/coaching. The amazing results of his integrated, holistic approach have made him a powerful voice for worldwide change among people of every age, religion, and creed—professionals, CEOs of major companies, diplomatic leaders, clergy, and even royalty.
Getting in Shape God’s Way includes several resources designed to help readers maintain a fitness lifestyle. The fitness plan, complete with photos of Kardashian himself demonstrating proper form, is tailored for beginner, intermediate, and advanced workouts. Kardashian also offers a companion workout DVD. The food plan features basic principles for healthy eating, suggested meal ideas, and convenient lists of the healthiest foods and the ingredients to be avoided at all costs. Because the words we speak and the things we put in our mouths determine the direction of our lives, Kardashian also includes a list of “mouth fitness Scriptures” that will keep readers focused.
My Review:
This is an overall great overview of fitness and health. Kardashian, with enthusiasm and passion, details that diet and exercise are a full body, soul, emotion and mind connection. Without a change in how we think, any changes made will be only temporary.
This book is not a detailed diet book. There are few if any recipes. A list of good foods and avoidance foods are included, as are suggestions on how to find them. But the diet portion is just a few pages. The majority of the book is focused on changing the mindset from "doomed-to-be" to "this is whom I'm becoming." This change in thinking is very Biblically based and there are lots of scriptures and God talk within. Kardashian spends quite a bit of time of negative vs positive self-talk and explores some fascinating self-fulfilling prophecy type thinking. There is a section with pictures of exercise which was helpful. The included DVD was even more helpful in that area. He has a few moves I haven't seen elsewhere. There is very little rigidity. Those who want a "do-this-now, do-this-right-before-dinner" type of diet/fitness plan probably won't find satisfaction. Self-starters and those ready to change will benefit the most.
Those who don't really want God involved in the process will likely be frustrated. But then again, those folks might not pick it up in the first place. If you are looking for a real change and are open to letting God in on the process you could invest your money in far worse ways. With the included DVD, the cost of this book could be the perfect investment into changing your life at a bargain basement cost. If you don't want to change or if it will eventually end on a garage sale table or collecting dust on a bookshelf, don't bother.
So the "winter" camping outing was intended to be a fun get away with a hike. One wife listened to the weather forecast and decided that she did not need any uber-wife points (or frostbite, thank you very much) and stayed home. So then there were four (two couples) plus two (a wifeless adventurer and a grand kid).
To prepare I pulled out layer upon layer of clothing items and I whined a little, tried to come up with a good excuse for why it would be in Rob's best interest for me not to go.
He didn't budge and so finally I marinated the chicken he would cook for me over a campfire and packed my stuff.
We arrived at our campsite right about twilight. The state park offered haunted hay rides so I was able to listen to the howling of werewolves while I glanced around at the dark foreboding trees that surrounded our campsite.
Rob, on the other hand, was having a blast. Exhibit C and Exhibit D showing the putting up of the two man tent and the sweet little forehead light. His enthusiasm is pretty cute. But that kind of trashes his whole Mano a Mano image so I retract that statement.
Oh, there's still more...to be continued.
Rob is kind of an outdoor Mano a Mano. Right now, as we speak -- figuratively because you may read this at an odd time of day and what I'm sharing wouldn't be true at that particular moment -- but I digress -- he is bow-hunting in 40 degrees and rain. Maybe it's warmer than 40, I'm only guessing but it isn't snow. Trust me, I know what snow looks like.
Exhibit A:
This weekend we got snow. In October. It only snows when the temp reaches freezing.
This weekend. I went tent camping with my husband.
Yes. On the same weekend it snowed I went tent camping. And hiking. Did I mention hiking?
A few of his backpacking buddies wanted to get together for a fun overnight mini-adventure and decided to ask the wives to come along. In their defense October is usually a very mild and perfect month to enjoy the slow ease into winter. But not this October. Winter happened with a vengeance.
We were an hour south of town and we didn't get the four inches of snow like we got at home. We got a smattering of flurries. But Exhibit B shows my insulated cup that held water the night before now holding ice.
to be continued......
This odd weekend coincidence totally cracked me up.
We have Pat and 23. Grandfather and grand-daughter. Do you see the resemblance?
Do I have great lookin kids or what?
From left to right. 18. 22 (soon to be 23). Toad-Boy and his lovely wife who has no specific blog-nickname. Hmmm. I will call her Wife of Toad-Boy...or WT-B. (Which is equal to an unpronounceable symbol.)
Summary:
There’s a question that troubles many believers: “Why am I not experiencing more joy, more hope, more satisfaction, more intimacy, more power, more everything in my Christian life--didn’t Jesus promise that?”
He did promise an abundant life, but too many people are trapped by the curse of “the ordinary.” They have accepted the wrong idea that following God means losing individuality, creativity, and a passion for achieving lofty goals.
Nothing could be further from the truth! John Bevere builds a convincing case, straight from Scripture, for a way of living marked by extraordinary experiences and accomplishments—the life God always intended for his children.
Here is a guide to understanding God’s incredible plans, and how to enjoy a life where he adds the “extra” to “ordinary.”
About the author:
John Bevere is an internationally popular conference speaker, teacher, and author of bestsellers, including The Bait of Satan, Drawing Near, and Driven by Eternity. His award-winning curriculum and books have been translated in over sixty languages and his weekly television program, The Messenger, is broadcast around the world. John and his wife, Lisa—also a bestselling author and speaker—reside with their family in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Visit his ministry website at www.messengerinternational.org.
My Review:
Extraordinary is a book that could revolutionize the way you think or leave you cold. It depends on how new John Bevere's information is for you. Many Bible teachers are sharing the same few key spiritual messages. This one is about living life abundantly and fully trusting God in the details. All the details including the willingness to be transformed. The message isn't a new one but Bevere shares unique insight and thoughts worthy of a few hours of time investment.
If you are struggling in your spiritual walk and wondering how you've gotten so dry or empty, Bevere's words might help you find the path to vibrancy. Many of us within the church read book after book, watch broadcast after broadcast and still refuse to do what God wants us to do... love Him with our entire hearts, souls, minds and strength. If this is your situation and you are not willing to believe God and trust Him with your obedience and yourself this book won't help.
Though not all folks from all denominations are going to be able to swallow all Bevere preaches, I believe the mature will be able to grab the value out of what is relevant and "right" with their particular party line without getting horribly twisted over details that they might not agree with.
