Belt Loops & Snakes & Freckles...oh my!

Randomness for today... (actually yesterday but my post didnt work right!)

For the last month I have been consistently watching what I have been putting in my mouth, chewing and swallowing...and for the last week and a half I have worked out everyday with the exception of one. Of course scales suck! But on Sunday someone noticed that my face was getting thinner...THEN...last night I was re-doing my belt when I suddenly looked down and realized that I had fastened it on the tightest notch!!! Now a month ago I wouldn't have been able to accomplish this task even with sucking everything in and here I was, fastening it on the tighest notch without even trying or noticing!! It just naturally went on its own!!! Needless to say I ran out into the vicinity of my family and proceeded to jump and flail around from excitement!

Monday night I had an India meeting - and near the end the topic of snakes - cobras to be exact - was brought up as some people have had encounters with them while visiting...as many of you well know - Jeanna has a deathly fear of snakes!!! PRAY FOR ME!

Noticed this morning that being out in the sun has made some freckles begin to appear - forgot this happens every year and kinda sorta like them...hmmm...crazy I know!

Missing blogs...

So I realized lately when I typed up quick blogs I only posted them on my myspace, which many of you do not have...so...to see those and read about the craziness that is my life...visit

www.myspace.com/jeanna37

I miss my friend...

Today has been a harder day than I expected. 5 years and a few odd hours ago I lost an amazing friend. Bob truly loved people, loved them like Christ calls us to love them. He was the first person I ever knew who lived that way. So today, on this terribly hard day, I am posting this blog in his memory...

Bob was the kinda guy everybody loved. I can honestly say I never met a person who did not immediately like Bob - he was loved by many! He was outgoing, absolutly crazy and yet always made you feel like you were someone...that you were special...that his life was better because you were in it.

Bob gave the best hugs. Many of my friends now are amazing huggers, but Bob just had a way about him. He was a fairly tall guy, measuring around 6'2 I would guess, and when he hugged me I always hit right in the middle of his chest. He would hold me tight as I breathed in the smell of his cologne. To this day whenever I smell "Bob" it makes me feel loved - like he is enveloping me in his arms.

Bob was one of those guys who would do anything and everything he thought would be funny or entertaining...he didnt care what people thought, he did it anyway. One night a few of us friends were at a video store picking out movies, when out of nowhere Bob dropped to one knee next to me and VERY LOUDLY begged me to marry him - that he couldnt live without me. I was mortified! I was shy and quiet in public places during my high school years and I DID NOT want attention called to me. I must have turned 3 shades of red! I told him I couldnt marry him without a ring. So he promptly bought me a plastic gold coin ring out of a machine and said we were engaged. He even bought me an "engagement" present - a single of my then favorite song, Truly Madly Deeply (yes I am that old that in high school they still had single albums on cassette)

Bob was one of my closest guy friends who was always there for me. At my prom he "saved" me a few times from my psychotic date - and he was the only person I danced there.

I can tell you exactly where I was and who was around the morning of the May 6th when I heard Bob had been killed in an accident the day before. At first I refused to believe it was true that someone so full of life could be gone. He had just finished up his first year at Ball State and had just returned home for summer break. We had emailed a few days before and were planning on getting together that afternoon I found out he had died. My world came crashing down. I dont remember a lot about the days before the funeral, only bits and pieces. His funeral was probably the hardest one I have ever had to attend. The thing that sticks out the most in my mind was the amount of people who showed up to his viewing. Hundreds of people came...some of them people he had only met once...they all came.

If there was one thing that came out of Bob having to die at such a young age, it would have to be my realization that life is too short. That I need to live my life without regrets. That I need to live each day to the fullest. And that I need to love people well.

Every year Cinco de Mayo gets a little easier to deal with...every year its easier to remember Bob with a smile, not a tear. But today, I still miss my friend.

Pain is good...or so I've been told...

Many many many times in my life I have been told "No pain, no gain" or "pain is good"...
While I know these facts are true, when you are IN pain, its not quite so easy to stomach.
This last weekend I re-dedicated myself to getting in shape. I actually love to work out, but when I get out of the habit, I tend to forget how much I love it. Or I just can't seem to find the time to fit it in.

Back in January I made a resolution to lose 20 pounds by my birthday, a task which will not occur by the way, but I decided I needed to lose weight, get healthier and overall feel better. Then February hit - a woman I was very close to died unexpectedly and I hit bottom without even realizing I was falling. I stopped reading my bible, I stopped working out, I stopped caring about myself. I was sad. Then I was just plain angry. I not only got behind on my weightloss goal, I got behind in my Bible reading also. I took me about a month to hear God calling my name - He had been reaching out to me for over a month, and I had chosen to ignore Him, too wrapped up in my own pain.

While I had started getting back on the right track with God, and have grown leaps and bounds since God's swift kick in the tush, I still hadn't been able to get myself to focus on working out. I started walking on my lunch breaks but still wasn't in any routine. Then this weekend happened.

I realized how far I had drifted from my goal in January and how important good health is to my purpose and mission (in case you haven't heard, I'm going to India in August...) We did a lot of walking uphill this past weekend and while it hurt by the end of the weekend, I felt great! So, last night, after watching 24, at 10 o'clock at night I decided to workout. And man was it an awesome workout! I just kept going, and then instead of cooling off and going to bed, I did a ton of ab exercises.

The ironic thing about my life is the correlation to my working out and my Bible study. I tend to work out at night since I can't get up early! But the cool thing is that when I workout I get a burst of energy for about an hour afterwards, which I put to use pouring into my Bible. Before I could only stay awake for about 15-20 minutes for time with God, and now, here I am staying up later, and yet somehow having energy today.

So while I am in pain (eek!) I know that tonight I am going to workout yet again - because I want to for me, I need to for me and most importantly, I need to for God.
I guess pain can be good sometimes...

This Weekend....

This weekend was one of the most amazing weekends I have had in a long time! I got to spend the weekend with some of the most amazing women, had some amazing God time, got completely crazy at times, and had some amazing conversations...I can't even express in words the joy inside of me right now. God is truly great!

On a side note, there is an extremely crazy "documentary" that was made of our weekend - let me just say, you will have a tiny glimpse into our lives this weekend and it may scare you...a crazy, wonderful time was had by all!

Here are a few pictures (of the MANY) to give you a little taste of our WONDERFUL weekend!!!

Kate filming our "documentary"

Luggage Cart RACES!!

Hotties!

Lo and Jeans worshipping!

Yes we are fabulous women!

We are every man's fantasy and God's reality!

Laura hunting peoples! I think she caught a Sarah!

Saturday night kisses

Erin and Stephanie!

Lindz and Cara lookin so adorable!

Jeanna and Julie on Sunday morning...yea we were tired by this time!

Crazy worship on Sunday!

This Weekend...

As most of you know, my job generally gets kinda crazy - weird things happening, crazy patrons, computers breaking...let just say I have earned my gray hairs that I am pulling out each week...

So you can only imagine how excited I am for my upcoming 3 day weekend! Not only is it a long weekend, I get to spend most of it at the Women's Retreat...every year I look forward to the Women's Retreat and not hardly anything could keep me from going. I know this will be the recharging, life-contemplating, relationship-growing weekend I am so desperately in need of. The icing on the cake of this weekend is that the retreat center we are going to is emersed in nature! There is a gorgeous lake, trees, flowers and plenty of God's beauty everywhere...its going to be amazing!

So here's to all the women who are heading out this weekend - and to the men - miss us lots and we are coming back changed in some way shape or form...