Free Vegetables

**BUT WAIT - theres more! Although this blog contest is now closed, there is still a chance for you to win a 75.00 Giftcard to www.freggies.com - Tom & I are giving them away all this week in the afternoons. Call around 3pm and we'll put you in the daily drawing - we have 5 cards to give away. Our studio line is 1-877-275-1053.**

**Contest now closed: Congrats to Jessi, Katie & Callie, our 3 Freggies winners.**


Bob the Tomato and Larry the Cucumber would be proud of this post.

For almost a year now, I've been telling you how my health has changed simply by doing something most of you are already doing: Fresh vegetables & fruits. In fact, I want to write a diet book called "How I stopped eating Tator Tots everyday and start eating vegetables and *surprise* lost weight." I think it could be a best seller.

Brilliant, I know, right? It reminds me of the real bestseller called "In Defense of Food" that has my favorite byline ever: "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants."

Remember, I wasn't always this way. I was the girl in preschool that refused to eat my cooked carrots and peas, so the little girl next to me, Lindsey, ate them for me. We are still friends to this day. God bless that little Lindsey. Is it any wonder that that same, sweet kindhearted four year old grew up to be a missionary who travels the globe? Her picture is on my fridge - and even though we are both almost 30 years old, I only see someone who is four.

Back to the veggies: after years of slowly putting on more weight, and feeling sluggish and depressed, well.... I reached a point of despair. I knew if I didn't get this under control now, I would never get it under control.

Thus, cucumbers. Carrots. Celery. Grapefruit. Apples. Pears. Bananas. Kale.

This afternoon I threw some ground flax seed on my yogurt. I laughed out loud as Brandon Heath's song played, "I'm not who I was..." My diet has drastically changed over the past year. I am so thankful. Not to overspiritualize things, but I feel like God did it for me.

Anyway - I love passing along a few of my "finds" to you - in case you find yourself on this journey with me.

Todays find? Freggies.

Freggies is the answer to this question: "How can I get affordable organic produce delivered right to my door?" Freggies!

I found out about Freggies through a friend here at Spirit, because 99% of us are all on a health kick lately. Its good accountability, I'll tell you that much! On days where I want to cave and eat 10 doughnuts, I see someone else walk by with their protein shake, and I head the other direction. Crisis averted.

The owner of Freggies (Jerrod) has an amazing story of overcoming cancer - and he attributes his recovery to Jesus and a better diet. Sounds like my kinda guy! He and his wife are committed to helping others have a healthier lifestyle - I just love this mission, and I feel myself following in that direction. Jerrod says that starting Freggies was a very spiritual experience for him - he knew how much God had helped him take control over his health and life with fresh nutrition - and he wanted to make a way to BRING that nutrition to others. Literally, to their door.

I logged on to Freggies.com and saw that the prices are extremely affordable, and had my first batch delivered the other day. SO simple, and it was actually really fun because I ordered a few fruits & veggies I don't normally order. Its so convenient - and I find that our family eats healthier. Well, Olivia and I do, anyway. We're still workin' on Joel. Lucky guy can eat whatever in the world he wants and still looks great. He's got some good genes.

And YES - the title of this post is "free veggies" - I spoke with Jerrod and he's agreed to give away THREE $50.00 giftcards to www.freggies.com! So simply leave a comment here - lets do comments that keep us motivated to get (or stay) healthy. Maybe its a quote, or a scripture you know - whatever inspires you, leave it in the comments section and I'll choose three winners. Remember to leave an email address so I can contact you if you win. No email, no freggies. :-)

Sarah

PS I like starting our comments off, here's mine:
When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left and could say, "I used everything You gave me." Erma Bombeck

Such Restraint

Anyone remember this post? You know, the one where I basically told you I'd rather meet her than Justin Timberlake?

Well...



I guess I can cross that one off my list now.

Angie came to town with her husband, Todd, and the musical group he's in, Selah. Can I just tell you something? I am a Selah fanatic now. I mean, I always liked their music - we've played their cover of "God Bless The Broken Road" and we've played "Light of The Stable" around Christmas time. But this new record? The one that (plug) comes out August 25th (plug) and is titled "You Deliver Me" (plug) is going to blow you away. I have only heard a handful of the new songs - but its been enough to have me ready to sit at my computer on August 24th and click "refresh" every 10 seconds as midnight approaches so I can get the disc on Amazon.com the second it goes on sale. Whats that? You want to do that, too? You want to preorder it? Ok. Heres the link: Preorder.

The gal in the group is named Amy, and she has a powerhouse of a voice. Its the kind of voice we all pretend to have when we daydream about what we could sound like if we could really sing. Todd and Allen have powerful voices as well - and when all three sing at once in harmony, the music takes you to another place. I've never been to a Selah concert before - until this past week when they stopped by the radio station to play some new music for us. They set up on our conference room here at Spirit - and the room was packed. (Mostly because I invited a few extra people... you know who you are.)

Oh. And afterwards? I got to spend a little more time with Angie. Such a sacrifice, I know. See, they don't have a Nordstrom where Angie lives in Nashville, and she was really hoping to pick up a few things. So, I volunteered to take her. :-) Downtown we went, for a quick little perfume shopping spree. And friends? I showed SUCH restraint. Although everything inside my being wants to smell just like Angie, I did NOT purchase the same fragrance as her. Because that would just be over the line.

Sarah

The number one question

"Where DID she get those curls?"

I have no idea. Both Joel & I both had "baby" curls when we were small, but nothing like this. Shes my little Shirley Temple. I never pictured myself with a curly-top girl, mostly because my hair is stick straight...and I've spent half the better part of my adult life trying to find a hairspray strong enough to help my hair hold curl for at least a half hour.

I love when people ask "Do YOU curl her hair?" and I'm all like, "Yes. I permed it this morning." ;-)

Sometimes I catch my mom delicately twirling each curl around her finger, to make it go 'boing!' I don't know how long she'll have this head of hair, but you better believe I have no plans on her first haircut any time soon.

Turning Pages

Somebody find my seventh grade yearbook, because I'm turning back into that little 13-year-old girl I once was.

A few of you know me from back-in-the-day when I wore overalls to school and did math...for fun...at recess. I also read. A lot.

And I'm proud to say: that girl is back! I may have contacts now - and the braces are gone - but deep in my heart, I'm a student who loves to learn. I was thisclose to being valedictorian (darn you, Callie!). Nevermind the fact that I had to just Google valedictorian in order to spell it correctly. What I'm trying to say is, I'm embracing the inner part of who I am - which is that nerdy little 13 year old whos reflection I still see in the mirror each day. I've tried to outgrow her, but she's persistent, and no matter how hip & trendy I try and be on the outside, I will always be the straight-A-striving, overachieving, book-loving fool I was meant to be. Is no wonder I fell in love with a man who was homeschooled and graduated high-school at the age of 16! My heart nearly burst out of my chest when we started dating: "Hooray, we can do cross-words together!"

But back to the reading. I just signed on to be a Thomas Nelson book-reviewer-blogger-whathaveyou. Have you heard about this? Brilliant! The publishing company, Thomas Nelson, is giving away free books to bloggers to review. Sign up here if the seventh-grader inside you wants to do book reports, too.

So anyway, I figured, as I wait for my first book to arrive, I will choose one of my own favorite books to review just to get started. Upon looking at the back page however, I realized that this book is also indeed a Thomas Nelson book, so go figure.


Sam introduced me to this book a few months ago. She said: "Its like Jesus calls you up each morning and leaves a voicemail..."

The author, Sarah Young, explains that she had read a book years ago that talked about waiting quietly in Gods Presence, pencil and paper in hand, recording what she believed He was saying. This was so refreshing to me, to read someone else who shares this experience, because often this is what I do when I find some time to sit quietly. So the book, Jesus Calling, is written in the first person, as if Jesus were talking.

I was reading todays and thought I'd share:

"As you get out of bed in the morning, be aware of My Presence with you. You may not be thinking clearly yet, but I am. Your early morning thoughts tend to be anxious ones until you get connected with Me. Invite Me into your thoughts by whispering My Name. Suddenly your day brightens and feels more user-friendly. You cannot dread a day that is vibrant with My Presence.

You gain confidence through knowing that I am with you - that you face nothing alone. Anxiety stems from asking the wrong question: "If such and such happens, can I handle it?" The true question is not whether you can cope with whatever happens, but whether you and I together can handle anything that occurs. It is this you-and-I-together factor that gives you confidence to face the day cheerfully."

Psalm 5:3
3 In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice;
in the morning I lay my requests before you
and wait in expectation

Across The Street

Its symbolized by a stack of paperwork on the kitchen table that never moves.
A few file folders, a bunch of bills, some school registration forms and maybe a book or two. Lots of Post-Its.

Its often a joke around my parents house – that stack of paper.
If my mom is reading this right now, she’s smiling I’ll bet.

But I want to tell you what it represents.

The other day, I was at my parents house picking up my daughter, and I saw the stack. (It seemed to be growing larger.) Not all of the paperwork is urgent… its just important enough not to toss. It basically represents a long to-do list.

Yet, the other day when I noticed it again, neither my mom nor my step-dad was inside. No one was at the kitchen table working on the stack.

Instead, my step-dad was across the street, helping his neighbor move some furniture. My mom was at the same house; weeding.

But let me step back a moment.

I loved the neighborhood I grew up in. My parents house was at the top of a cul-de-sac, perfect for riding bikes with the neighborhood kids.

We knew our neighbors names. Their kids were my best friends growing up. Sometimes we would have Christmas parties together and put on a little talent show. I enjoyed the neighborhood.

Except for one house.

As a little girl, I was afraid of the man who lived there, because one time I hit a baseball into his garage and he said "Its mine now!" and slammed the door. He and his wife didn’t have small children, so I assumed he didn’t like any children. Therefore, it was the one house I skipped when I sold Girl Scout cookies.

I remember my step-dad telling me a story that years ago, his car wouldn’t start and he desperately needed a ride to the airport. He began knocking on neighbors doors, seeing if anyone was home. When he got to that house, and the man answered, my step-dad humbly asked for a ride. The answer was no, and the door was shut.

Even after all these years, its the one house I ignore when I drive into my parents driveway to visit.

A month ago, my mom called me and sounded serious. She informed me that the man who lived there had just passed away suddenly. He left behind his wife, who was on vacation when he passed.

Can you imagine being that woman? I pictured her, on an airplane, knowing when it landed at Sea-Tac that she’d be coming home to an empty house. It broke all of our hearts – so my parents decided to do something about it.

I have watched my parents, over the course of the past month, carry over food, mow her lawn, weed her garden, do her laundry, fix her lightbulbs, feed her cats, and everything else under the sun. What’s more is that they spend time with her. Sometimes at night, when the sun is going down, my parents go over just to watch television with her, so she's not alone. And I know for a fact that its not their choice of programming. They simply sit with her on the couch, and laugh with her at the comedy on television, so that shes not by herself.

So, what does this have to do with the stack of paperwork?

It would be easy for my parents to be too “busy” to do any of these things. They both work, they take care of my daughter in the afternoon when I’m on-air, and they have active lives. Its not like they are sitting around each day looking for something extra to do. Their plate is full. And the stack of papers proves it. Plenty of bills to pay, plenty of decisions to make, plenty of things to get done for the next day.

Yet they prioritize. The paperwork can wait another day.

They choose to walk across the street.

What does God expect of us?

A few days ago, a friend of mine who works at World Vision handed me a copy of this book.

Man, I'm glad he did.

I have not.been.able.to.put.it.down.

Granted, I'm only on chapter 3, but thats already deep enough to pause and tell you about the book.

Its written by the president of World Vision, Richard Stearns. He quickly drew me in by sharing the story of how God brought him to World Vision in the first place. Richard was a very successful businessman at a large fine-tableware company called Lenox. He had previously been the CEO of Parker Brothers (Monopoly, Clue, etc). He was in NO WAY looking to leave his position and join World Vision. He was quite comfortable in his large house, with his Jaguar in the driveway, living comfortably with his wife and 5 children.

I'll let you start the book to find out what happened next.

On a personal note, I've toured the World Vision building. Did you know we are lucky enough to have World Vision headquarters right here in Washington State? I'm sad to say I only realized that a few years ago! Located in Federal Way, the World Vision building is something to behold. I walked through the mail room, where every letter is sorted and sent. I attended one of their chapels, and watched a few employees receive recognition for a number of years of service. I saw pictures lining the hallways, each with a story. I left feeling humbled, and excited, knowing that the more I learn about what is actually going on around the world, the more I want to get involved. My husband and I sponsor a little girl named Juliet through World Vision. She lives in Zambia, Africa, and is the same age as our daughter Olivia. Sometimes when Olivia does something new (new words, new milestones) I think of Juliet, and wonder if she's doing the same.

On to chapter four,
Sarah

Hey Guys? Come get me!

My daughter is a rooster. She wakes up with the first dawn of day. Sometimes earlier.

I haven't used an alarm clock in 2 years and 5 months.

She still sleeps in a crib, and has only ever climbed out once. So most mornings, she stands at the rails and yells "Mama? Daddy? Hey guys! Come get me!"

If we don't go right away, we hear the following:

"Guys? Hey guys? Come get me dressed!"

I can hear blankets hitting the floor, or a "ker-plump" sound of her doll being tossed from the crib.

Its usually at this point that I throw my feet over the side of the bed and stumble into her room. And just when I think to myself "Can't-somebody-teach-this-kid-to-sleep-in-what-do-I-have-to-do-to-get-some-sleep-around-here-sheesh---" I crack open the door and see...

that smile.