My husband, however, (I still haven’t come up with an appropriate name for him) is a Michigan fan. I know, I know, I pray for him too. We live very near Ann Arbor. Sidenote: the street signs in Ann Arbor are maize and blue. But he is not as true a fan as I am. I have seen him be in the middle of a game, realize that Michigan is losing, and WALK AWAY FROM THE TV. I don’t understand it either. When they’re winning, he claims to be a die-hard fan. I have to admit, it makes my life calmer when they’re winning, and as long as they’re not playing Alabama that’s just fine. But the first football season we were married, Alabama and Michigan played each other in the Orange bowl. Alabama lost by 1 point in overtime. I was not pleased. But my husband could not be too happy because we were at my Uncle Claud’s house surrounded by most of my family.

I should take a moment here to point out that my entire family are Bama fans. Most of them are intense fans. That means so much more than ‘die-hard’. Tempers explode, they don’t just flare. Blood pressures blast into deep space, they don’t just rise. Voices of the most soft spoken and gentle men become roars that are heard miles away. And the women are even more intense. This is the situation in which my brand new yankee husband found himself upon the Alabama loss of the Orange bowl. His first response was “Michigan won!” His next thought was “how the hell do I survive this?” So it might have been a victory, but it was definitely a subdued one.

Now, we watch games together, I’ll pull for Michigan, he’ll pull for Alabama, and all is well with our world. Alabama and Michigan aren’t scheduled to play each other for at least 2 more years. We’re good, for now.

We got back from our camping trip yesterday, we spent a week camping in the woods at Lake Michigan. The Things whined and fussed and fought most of the time and Hubby and I were pretty cranky, too. So we packed up a day early and made it home at about 4am today. So the van is still packed to the gills. And that includes our toothbrushes. And obviously my patience, too.  Because for the love of all that is blue and green if Thing 2 doesn’t stop kissing me I’m going to dropkick him across the ever loving house! Ok, time for lunch. Drive thru it is.

I just asked the Things what they wanted from Arby’s. Thing 2 wants 71 french fries. Huh. Sounds good to me too. See ya’ll later.

So anyway, I had posted one of my favorite verses: “He rescued me because He delighted in me”. I’ve posted that here before, it’s from Psalms 18, it also has the verse “He drew me out of the deep waters”.  It’s just one of those Psalms that always brings me comfort, not only because it reminds me of he deep deep love of my Savior, but also because it reminds me that God will protect His own.  “⁶ In my distress I called to the LORD; I cried to my God for help. From His temple He heard my voice; my cry came before Him, into His ears. ⁷ The earth trembled and quaked, and the foundations of the mountains shook; they trembled because He was angry.”

And since I’ve reread the whole thing, now I feel sorry for her. She doesn’t have that promise of an eternity with the same God that gets angry when someone hurts my feelings.  So instead of venting, I’ll pray. That’s what I should be doing anyway, huh? Ok, glad that’s all out of my system for now, maybe I can get some sleep. Good night, sweet dreams!

p

So I pray about it. God, I am so ANGRY right now! I want to fight back, I want to yell and scream and make my point and I am right and I want everyone to know it! What do I do? A soft answer turns away wrath. NO! I don’t want to turn away wrath I want to fight back! Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness. But that’s not fair! They’re saying mean things about me and I want to stop them! Don’t you hear me, God? I want to fight! Remember, your struggle is not against flesh and blood but against spiritual forces of evil. Well crap. You’re right. So now what? Be strong in the Lord, in Me, and in My mighty power. Pray in the Spirit, on ALL occasions and with all kinds of requests. Oh all right. But I don’t like it. It doesn’t seem wise to me, pray for those who are causing me grief? Have you forgotten Paul? Go back and read Philippians 1   ²⁷Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel ²⁸without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved—and that by God. ²⁹For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him, ³⁰since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have. Oh yeah. I remember now. But God, I don’t want to! I didn’t ask if you wanted to, I said do it. Bless those who persecute you. Pray for those who do wrong against you. Love your neighbor as yourself. Be salt to My earth. Forgive those who hurt you. Shine My light to everyone you meet. But God it’s just so hard! Yeah? Well? Tell me where you read ‘take up your cotton candy and follow Me’. You want hard? Try loving liberals. You don’t KNOW hard. Oh all right. I’ll obey You. I don’t like it, but I’ll do it. Yeah, and our next discussion is going to be “everything you do do it as unto Me”. Oh. Right. Ok. God, please help me to have a willing spirit as I pray for them and please bless their lives and their families and show them Your love. And help me to overcome my mean streak.  I know you have a mean streak. Remember that verse I gave you all those years ago? It still applies. I’ve said it over and over again. It is Mine to avenge. In due time their foot will slip. The Lord is a God of retribution, I will repay in full.  And keep in mind, too, that no one else’s opinion matters at all. I will judge you according to your practices. That is all you need to know.  I love you, I will protect you, I will provide for you. Obey Me. Ok, God. I love you, too. Thank you for loving me. Thank you for saving me. Thank you for blessing me. Amen.

So it’s been a really weird day in my world today.  I thought I had a doctor’s appointment this morning, my doctor is about an hour away.  I thought my appointment was at 9:30 so we all got up a little early, we all rushed around, and finally got out the door.   I dropped the kids off as school, took the special order thing into the school office, came back and finished getting ready and flew to Ann Arbor for my appointment.  When I checked in, she said “I don’t have you on the schedule for today.”  Crap. My appointment wasn’t until NEXT Monday.  But God is good and my doctor had an opening for right then.  Cool. Got done there and came home only to get the call from school that Jack was crying with  bad headache.  So I went and picked him up and before we could get home he was throwing up.  I’m not sure what is causing his headaches, he has them every once in a while.  He’ll cry when it gets very bad then he’ll throw up. Then he’ll sleep for a while then he’ll be fine. This all happens in a matter of a few hours, they never last very long. I’m thinking it must either be changes in the atmospheric pressure or something he’s eating.  I’ve started keeping a log of them.

Then tonight I was cooking dinner.  Enchiladas and re-fried beans.  I got out the pot to heat the beans.  I got out the can of beans.  I got out the can opener.  It seemed like the opener wasn’t fitting on the can just right so I used a lot of force on it.  So I cranked with all my strength and tried like hell to open…..the edge of the pot. Duh.  Just color me blond today.

Ah well, it’s late. I’m tired. But best of all, I’m forgiven. Ya’ll should try it sometime.

More later,  love ya’ll!

p

Another wash today. No exercise but eating was ok. Getting a cold and my throat hurt all day. Did dishes, though, does that count?

1 mile run/walk

CrossFit WOD Shoulder Press 3-3-3-3-3-3-3

20-30-35-40-45-45-45

Failed after 5th round, last 2 rounds were push press.

Eating wasn’t terrible, but still wasn’t Zone all day. Crap, forgot my evening meds. And as excited as I was to make the Pose connection with my running, my calves are still screaming. I had no idea it was going to be so different. And the guy that told me I was weird after my rowing/head bobbing workout said I ran weird too. I may just have to kick his ass and get it over with.  I’m going to have to have a talk with the head trainer, too.  CrossFit stuff is not as much about show as it is about function.  And really. Is there any reason at all to have 5 benches lined up in a row? Completely separate from the bench press thingy? I need room more than I need to lay on a bench. And we’ve got all these huge muscle builder guys who grunt and sweat and strut around in t-shirts cut into strips but when I move things around to do an actual functional workout, they look at me like I’m from another planet. Necks as big as tree trunks, pounding the protein shakes, and not a single one of them can bend and touch his toes.  Ah well. My only real complaint is that I don’t have enough room to do the type of things I need to do. I’ll talk to Kevin tomorrow.

I kept the kids up late tonight, I’m hoping they’ll sleep later tomorrow since they’re out of school. Oh, I need to make sure I turn Sarah’s alarm clock off then. Ok, I’m off. Tomorrow’s a CF rest day so I’m gonna catch up on my running. Joy.

Today was pretty much a complete wash. Good Zone morning, but then the kids came home from school and everything went straight to hell. Oh well.

Run/walk 2.5 miles

CrossFit WOD War Frank (modified)

3 rounds for 17:48

15 Lat pull downs 50lbs

15 Triceps dips

30 Squats

15 Flat sit ups (laying flat, roll up, touch toes, roll down)

Mostly Zone diet, 11 blocks protein, carbs, and fat.

Hehheh, but then I tend to get a little bloodthirsty and vengeful, cause when I look for the verse that says “He rescued me because He delighted in me” I find the verse: “He is the God who avenges me”.  Gotta love Psalms.  I know it’s a long one, but it made me feel encouraged today so I’m putting it up so maybe I can encourage someone else.

Psalms 18.

¹ I love you, O LORD, my strength.

² The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge.
He is my shield and the horn ^[a] of my salvation, my stronghold.

³ I call to the LORD, who is worthy of praise,
and I am saved from my enemies.

⁴ The cords of death entangled me;
the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.

⁵ The cords of the grave ^[b] coiled around me;
the snares of death confronted me.

⁶ In my distress I called to the LORD;
I cried to my God for help.
From his temple he heard my voice;
my cry came before him, into his ears.

⁷ The earth trembled and quaked,
and the foundations of the mountains shook;
they trembled because he was angry.

⁸ Smoke rose from his nostrils;
consuming fire came from his mouth,
burning coals blazed out of it.

⁹ He parted the heavens and came down;
dark clouds were under his feet.

¹⁰ He mounted the cherubim and flew;
he soared on the wings of the wind.

¹¹ He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him—
the dark rain clouds of the sky.

¹² Out of the brightness of his presence clouds advanced,
with hailstones and bolts of lightning.

¹³ The LORD thundered from heaven;
the voice of the Most High resounded. ^[c]

¹⁴ He shot his arrows and scattered the enemies ,
great bolts of lightning and routed them.

¹⁵ The valleys of the sea were exposed
and the foundations of the earth laid bare
at your rebuke, O LORD,
at the blast of breath from your nostrils.

¹⁶ He reached down from on high and took hold of me;
he drew me out of deep waters.

¹⁷ He rescued me from my powerful enemy,
from my foes, who were too strong for me.

¹⁸ They confronted me in the day of my disaster,
but the LORD was my support.

¹⁹ He brought me out into a spacious place;
he rescued me because he delighted in me.

²⁰ The LORD has dealt with me according to my righteousness;
according to the cleanness of my hands he has rewarded me.

²¹ For I have kept the ways of the LORD;
I have not done evil by turning from my God.

²² All his laws are before me;
I have not turned away from his decrees.

²³ I have been blameless before him
and have kept myself from sin.

²⁴ The LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness,
according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.

²⁵ To the faithful you show yourself faithful,
to the blameless you show yourself blameless,

²⁶ to the pure you show yourself pure,
but to the crooked you show yourself shrewd.

²⁷ You save the humble
but bring low those whose eyes are haughty.

²⁸ You, O LORD, keep my lamp burning;
my God turns my darkness into light.

²⁹ With your help I can advance against a troop ^[d] ;
with my God I can scale a wall.

³⁰ As for God, his way is perfect;
the word of the LORD is flawless.
He is a shield
for all who take refuge in him.

³¹ For who is God besides the LORD ?
And who is the Rock except our God?

³² It is God who arms me with strength
and makes my way perfect.

³³ He makes my feet like the feet of a deer;
he enables me to stand on the heights.

³⁴ He trains my hands for battle;
my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

³⁵ You give me your shield of victory,
and your right hand sustains me;
you stoop down to make me great.

³⁶ You broaden the path beneath me,
so that my ankles do not turn.

³⁷ I pursued my enemies and overtook them;
I did not turn back till they were destroyed.

³⁸ I crushed them so that they could not rise;
they fell beneath my feet.

³⁹ You armed me with strength for battle;
you made my adversaries bow at my feet.

⁴⁰ You made my enemies turn their backs in flight,
and I destroyed my foes.

⁴¹ They cried for help, but there was no one to save them—
to the LORD, but he did not answer.

⁴² I beat them as fine as dust borne on the wind;
I poured them out like mud in the streets.

⁴³ You have delivered me from the attacks of the people;
you have made me the head of nations;
people I did not know are subject to me.

⁴⁴ As soon as they hear me, they obey me;
foreigners cringe before me.

⁴⁵ They all lose heart;
they come trembling from their strongholds.

⁴⁶ The LORD lives! Praise be to my Rock!
Exalted be God my Savior!

⁴⁷ He is the God who avenges me,
who subdues nations under me,

⁴⁸ who saves me from my enemies.
You exalted me above my foes;
from violent men you rescued me.

⁴⁹ Therefore I will praise you among the nations, O LORD;
I will sing praises to your name.

⁵⁰ He gives his king great victories;
he shows unfailing kindness to his anointed,
to David and his descendants forever.