Members Only

When we moved to Lubbock we agreed we were going to join a gym. I had been working out fairly regularly in Arizona whether hiking, yoga, running or even just an exercise video off Netflix. I would, of course, lament the fact that I didn't have a "regular" schedule and always feel like I should be doing more. In fact for a few crazy weeks I was working out twice a day. An unhealthy practice for me on many different levels.

Anyway, we heard about a gym in Lubbock that had two pools for the kiddos, a rock wall, kids' gym, etc. It sounded perfect and we made the appointment to sign on the dotted line and become members. It was going to cost us $110 per month. That may not seem like a huge amount, but in our financial world it is 25% of our grocery budget. Ouch. I wasn't even at the gym yet and I was already in pain. Although we didn't say anything to each other initially, in the week leading up to our signing appointment Erik and I each had reservations about the time and financial commitment we were preparing to make. He was already working long days, sometimes not getting home until 8:30. I was balancing school for the girls, unpacking a home, adjusting to a new city and trying to squeeze in a few meetings and lunches with my new church family. We knew this was what it was going to be like in the first few weeks, maybe months, of our life in Lubbock. We were not only prepared for the demands on our schedule, we were excited and looking forward to the same. What a joy to see my husband wake excited for work each day and loving the work he was doing. It was fun to discover a new city and new routines with my girls as we navigated this interstate move together. However, I feared adding another time commitment to our life right now could cost us more than the membership fee each month. 

Ultimately we discussed joining a gym and realized that, for us, in doing so we would be poor stewards of our resources, namely our time and money.  Although I knew we were making the right decision, I was disappointed. An hour all to myself to workout uninterrupted has it's appeal, you know? But, my bigger disappointment, if I am brutally honest, was that I would not have the facilities necessary to finally achieve the flat abs and thin thighs I so desired to take on our vacation this summer. I would like to tell you that my desire to join a gym stemmed from my lofty goals of caring for the body that God gave me and to set a healthy example for my daughters. If I told you that though, I would not only be prideful, I'd be a liar too. No, it was not caring for the temple that houses the Holy Spirit that drove me to want to me a member of a gym, it was the temptation to be a member of the world wherein you are not valuable if you are not a perfect physical specimen. In His great mercy and infinite wisdom, God taught me a lesson and provided a way for me to resist temptation with an answer I rarely like to receive to prayer: No. 

So, now what? Do I start an extreme exercise regimen at home? Cut out all my carbs to offset my lack of treadmill availability?  Or do I simply give up, eat junk and resign to the fact that health will come later when I have more money? Um yeah, pretty sweet example for my girls, I know. Or, is this a prime opportunity to show them that health happens in their everyday life? Could it be that caring for our bodies is a daily act of worship that comes through our normal food and activity choices? On the day we were supposed to join a gym we actually spent three hours doing some pretty grueling yard work. We vacuumed and mopped the floors and folded a few buckets of laundry. We even found time to share a meal at the table of fresh sandwiches and awesome conversation. The girls and I walk Bella up to a pond near our home and play at the park. Erik is going to start playing basketball with men from our church each week and hopefully find time to golf. Today we had sandwiches and salads for lunch. And guess what? We aren't panicking about trying to find time to go to a gym to workout. We aren't even counting calories or cutting carbs (yay!!). We are simply making better choices, each day, each moment, in an act of worship and gratitude for this life we are privileged to live. 

I'm not saying that gym memberships are evil and that I will never join one. I may even still do an exercise video now and then. I guess what I am saying is that for me, for now, my "workouts" are happening in my daily routine. "Health" is happening when my daughters pick a new fruit to try or offer to make me a gourmet lunch of salad and fresh baked bread (yes, they really did this.) I want them to know that just as church isn't something that happens once a week on Sundays, health isn't something that happens once a day in a gym. I want physical activity to be their norm, and not some manufactured routine they couldn't fit into their day.  

So, alas, we are not members of a gym. But, I have discovered simply being a  member of God's family and taking care of my own family provides infinite opportunity for strength, growth and a steady diet of daily bread.

In His Service,

Back Home

We are finally getting settled in our new home in Lubbock, Texas. We are quickly getting acquainted with all things Lubbock and have received definitive answers to the following questions:

Are people in West Texas really as nice as everyone claims?
No. They are nicer, by a long shot. (See how I'm already using some western lingo - nice, right?)

Can it really be that windy?
No. It is windier. (Is windier a word or should I say more windy? Somehow when I right 'windier' I feel like I'm describing a country road that curves a lot.)

How will the kiddos adjust?
Considering we've already had a sleepover and are making dinner plans with their new friends, I'd say they're transitioning well. Perhaps I can shave a couple years off the therapy sessions for which we save...

All in all, the move has gone well and it is starting to feel like home rather than an extended vacation. Not to the dog, though. I'm pretty sure she's waiting for us to go back home. I'm trying to resist using the phrase "back home."  When I say that it makes Texas sound temporary and somehow not worthy of being called home. So, while Arizona was home (and a great one), this is home.

It's home because we're here. Wherever we are, when the four of us (five, sorry Bella) are all together, we're home. So when we arrived at our new house on that first day in Lubbock, we were "back home." Okay, I'm tired of the word home. Let's move on.

Random Thought Time (RTT):

We don't have cable here. I used to say we didn't have cable in Arizona but that wasn't exactly true. We had 23 channels, mostly so I would have access to Fox, CBS, and NBC during football season and PBS for my Doc Martin addiction.    But here, when I say we don't have cable, I am being truthful. We did by an antenna (I'll wait until you get back in your chair from laughing so hard) for sixty bucks and we got...drum roll please: one channel. At least it is NBC so we get some news in the morning. I was missing Matt Lauer.
Matt + coffee = tolerable mornings.

We do have Netflix and through this happy medium I have discovered two new favorite shows. My first is Take Home Chef with Curtis Stone. Have you seen this? You must. Curtis, an Aussie chef, approaches people in the supermarket and offers to buy their groceries and help them cook dinner to surprise a special someone in their life. I like it because I like listening to him talk. I like it because the episodes are only 20 minutes - easy to squeeze one in while I fold laundry. I like it because he makes stuff I will never in a million years cook for my family.  But, during one brief episode I imagine that I will in fact start buying fresh groceries everyday and make seared swordfish over sauteed fennel with layered chocolate mousse and creme brulee for dessert. Because, how hard could it be? Then the episode ends and I remember to put my hotdish into the oven.

My other favorite show is The Last American Cowboy. If you think you have a really hard job or your day with the kiddos has been extremely exhausting, watch this show. If, at the end, you don't feel like you have it pretty darn easy,  you must have the worst job ever. Because unless you are birthing 20 calves and shoveling poop in a blizzard, you, like me, live close to luxury my friend. This show chronicles three ranchers in Montana and brilliantly displays both the brutality and attractiveness of a simple life lived off the land. Note I said simple - not easy. While this show makes me appreciate my life, it also inspires me to work harder and do more with my day. I feel silly when I say I ran out of time to do yard work or squeeze in a workout when there are families who work sunup to sundown to put food on the table. 

Well, that's all for now. My new couches will arrive on Friday at which time I will finally post pictures of our new Texas digs. BTW - I am writing today in my new studio. Okay, from 10-3 it's a school house, but after they leave I am happy to call it a studio where I can write, sew, scrapbook, etc. OMGosh, I kind of feel like a real crafter/artist. HeeHee

Until next time y'all! (I did it again, did you catch it?)

In His Service,