Happy New Years!

My New Year's List for 2011

I accomplished a lot in 2010, but have so much more I want to do in 2011.  This year is a big one in the Freemire House.  I will turn 50 (Scott will turn 50 the beginning of 2012), we will be married for 20 years, Bailey will turn 18, graduate and leave for college and we will have yet another senior in the house!

Here is a short list of what I look forward to accomplishing in the coming exciting year!

Personal Goals

• losing 20 - 30 pounds more to meet my goal
• run in 9 more 5K's to meet my goal of a 5K a month for a year
• do at least one 10K
• start to think about the possibility of doing a Half Marathon
• Bike more
• do core strength training
• take at least one college class
• read through the Bible
• read more books in general
• be more patient and kind
• strengthen the important relationships in my life
• get organized!!!!

House Goals

• Paint and redo Master Bedroom into a romantic getaway
• Paint Girls Bathroom
• Paint Bailey's room
• Paint basement/Ministry office
• Throw out junk and get ORGANIZED
• Paint the trim
• New carpet
• more outdoor landscaping
• Build with Scott and Outdoor entertainment buffet

Family Goals

• Save more money and plan better financially
• Go on a cruise over Christmas to celebrate our 50th B'days and 20th Wedding Anniversary
• spend more time together
• be more patient and show more grace
• Prepare for Bailey to go to College

Ministry Goals

• Get Non For Profit status
• Establish our Board of Directors
• get Scholarship Fund established
• begin fundraising
• Make our organizational plan/vision/core values
• more training!

I'm pretty sure that I will need to add to these and evaluate some other ones.  I just want to do what God has in store for me and let Him use me in the lives of others...I'll do a quarterly check in and let you know how its going...

HAPPY NEW YEARS!

Happy Anniversary

 Since I was a young girl I dreamed of finding my Prince Charming and having a Christmas wedding. 

I dreamed of a wedding with Christmas Carols being sung, with Christmas Trees decorating the Church, an evening wedding with lots of candles.

19 years ago, my dream came true....
Scott gave me the wedding of my dreams!  He knows I love snow, I love winter, I love Christmas...


He knows I love him.  I know he loves me!  We have weathered some difficult times (in plenty and want, sickness and health) and still its his arms I fall into when I am scared, sad, weak, vunerable, happy and excited (in joy and sorrow).  It's his voice I love to hear.  It's him who has captured my heart.

We celebrated with friends and family.  There were about 600 people at the wedding.  Since I was a youth director who had served two chuches, both those church families and the youth groups were present.  
We even had my current youth group sing at our wedding!



            

I take thee, Scott, to be my wedded husband.
And I do promise and covenant; Before God and these witnesses;
to be they loving and faithful wife;
In plenty and in want;
In joy and in sorrow;
In sickness and in health;
As long as we both shall life.

Next year...our 20th.  Scott and I will also turn 50. 

Yes, we were older when we got married.  But we were wiser, more patient, more settled and more sure of what we wanted.

He was so worth the wait!

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, BABY!

The Meaning of Christmas

 O holy night, the stars are brightly shining;

It is the night of the dear Savior�s birth!

Long lay the world in sin and error pining,

Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth.

A thrill of hope, the weary soul rejoices,

For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.

 

Fall on your knees, O hear the angel voices!

O night divine, O night when Christ was born!

O night, O holy night, O night divine!

Led by the light of faith serenely beaming,

With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand.

So led by light of a star sweetly gleaming,

Here came the wise men from Orient land.

The King of kings lay thus in lowly manger,

In all our trials born to be our friend!

 

Fall on your knees, O hear the angel voices!

O night divine, O night when Christ was born!

O night, O holy night, O night divine!

Truly He taught us to love one another;

His law is love and His Gospel is peace.

Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother

And in His Name all oppression shall cease.

Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,

Let all within us praise His holy Name!

Fall on your knees, O hear the angel voices!

O night divine, O night when Christ was born!

O night, O holy night, O night divine!

The Birth of Jesus Christ In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered.  This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria.  And all went to be registered, each to his own town.  And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed,  who was with child.  And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth.  And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.  And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear.  And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.  For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.  And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”  And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

 “Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.”  And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger.  And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child.  And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them.  But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart.  And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. 

 Luke 2:1-20

Being Real

I am so blessed....I am blessed with wonderful friends and family.  Last month I met up with Kathy and got caught up.  This month, in one trip, I was able to meet up with two precious friends that I haven't seen in while, Jeff and then Angie!  I was looking forward to one more visit in Atlanta on my way home, but it didn't work out.

Angie and I were in youth ministry together at a time when women in youth ministry was a rare thing....yes, there was a time I was cutting edge!

We each drove about 90 minutes to meet up.  The next 4+ hours were spent catching up and sharing what God had done in our lives over the last 11 years.  It was a wonderful time of sharing joys and hardships.  But the common thread through it all was God's goodness and Grace.  Thanks, Angie for a wonderful time! 

I am blessed to be in contact with some of the most incredible people through the ministry I am in.  Each of them made in the image of God, each one marred by a fallen world, each one with their own story of amazing grace, and each one has made a beautiful imprint on my life!

Only God...

I can't come up with this kind of stuff! 

I am in ministry with a past camper and youth from my ministry days.  She is now a grown woman, wonderful wife an incredible mother.  We are embarking on a new exciting twist in our ministry.... we are making it our own by going the Non-for-profit route.  That means we are getting a Board of Directors, lawyers, funding and looking to grow not only the camp ministry, but the youth ministry we are involved in....

This week I am attending the CCCA National Conference at Ridgecrest Conference Center for training in these areas.  I am in lovely Asheville, NC.

While here, I made arrangements to meet up with several old friends.  One of them, Jeff, drove down to see me on Sunday.  We spent some time over lunch talking about how we became Christians. 

This is the cool part!

 

Jeff became a Christian Youth Summer Camp - the one that Heather and I are now directing!!  I was excited to hear his story and he thought it equally exciting that the camp ministry is still providing a place for teens to hear the Gospel and grow as believers.  The camp has a long history of being a place where teens can come together and develop friendships that last a life time. 

  

!



Here we were 35 years later, still connected by the passion and vision for reaching teens that John H. Eastwood of Covenant Church had.  I am thankful for faithful men like Pastor Eastwood, who reflected the love of Christ and served his Savior! 

 

Childhood Memories....

Childhood Memories.....

Somethings trigger memories for us all...it might be a smell, a fabric, a sound, a season, a food...whatever it is, it usually makes us smile....

I remember watching these two videos on our black and white three legged T.V. in Hessville when they played on Ray Raynor and Friends or on Garfield Goose.  If you grew up in the Chicagoland area you would see these played on WGN and know it was nearly Chirstmas!!

Reunited!

Some friendships withstand the test of time.  No matter how much time goes by, when reunited, you just pick right back up and move forward! 

Kathy is one of those for me.  What a special, sweet time we had on Monday.  Anticipating her arrival was second only to the time spent talking, laughing, reminiscing and catching up. What a beautiful woman of God she is.  What an amazing family she has.  What a wonderful mother and wife she is!

She shares a very special connection with my Bailey. I see it, she and Bailey feel it. It brought me to tears to see them together. 

 Bailey loves her without really knowing her. 

When Bailey was a baby they connected and bonded.  You can see it in their smiles you feel it when you see them.

God is so good.  He is full of surprises and Gifts.  Kathy is a special gift in my life!  She is a special gift for Bailey as well.

Throwing in the Towel?

I haven't been able to write much this past week.  It in no means should be an indication that there is nothing going on in the Freemire house....There is always something....football games, teens over, homework, jobs, practices, ortho visits, oral surgeon appointments, pending dentist and eye appointments, bills, winterizing the house, getting ready for the Holidays..the list of activities goes on and on...

I make it a priority to run 3-4 times a week.  I know I have to.  I sometimes want to and I am always glad I did afterwards.  Now that the days are shorter and the there is no more "daylight savings", I am running in the dark...I don't mind it, actually.  It's peaceful.  Gives me thinkin time, praying time, reflecting time.

Last night when I was heading out to do 4.5 miles I felt really excited to run.  I was actually looking forward to it.  The entire time I was running I reflected on how far I have come.  I think my story is very similar to many runners who start later in life.  I used to hide in the darkness, I used to stopp running when cars or people approached, and I worried about what others would think of the fat old lady running.

I don't do that any more.  I run because I want to get in shape and lose weight, I run because I want to, and because I want to be strong for my children and grandchildren (one day).  Mackenzie gave me a note the morning of the Chicago Hot Chocolate 5K.  I keep it in my wallet and reread parts of it from time to time.  One section showed me that this running thing isn't all about me.  Here is part of the letter: 

Dear Mom,
"I know you've been looking forward to this for a while.  The time has finally come. Everything you've worked for.  Take a second and think about where you were a year ago....see how much you've done?  Mom, you've done so much and built up so much determination that I don't think a tornado could prevent you from running this race...."

"Mom, I'm sooo proud of you and proud to have you as a mom.  Your setting such a good example for me to never give up even in the toughest times.  I wish I could be there and run this with you and elaborate this with you.  Just know that I'll be thinking about you and praying for you.  You're amazing.  Keep doin whatcha doin.  I love you so much!  So proud and happy for you!  Mackenzie."
I can't tell you how much that impacted me.  But everything good that running has brought into my life started from my humble beginnings.  It all started with those first steps I took one winter night.  Those first 20 seconds of "attempting" to run.  But, without those first 20 seconds I would have stayed right where I was, needing to lose weight and needing to exercise.  So as I ran last night I celebrated the changes....I celebrated the weight I have lost and still have to lose, I celebrated that I had my girls and husband out running and getting in shape, I cebrated the fact that I COULD run for 4.5 miles!  I came home smiling, feeling energized, feeling ALIVE! I thanked God for what He was doing in my life.  I thanked Him for letting me remember what it felt like to run like a child running out in the yard in the summer. 

I challenge any of you who think you can't run.  Just take that first 20 seconds and get off the couch.  I am not sure where I saw this quote, but I like it.  "You can throw in the towel, or use it to wipe the sweat off  your face"....or something like that.  Hey, if I CAN DO THIS YOU CAN!

What a Weekend! Part II

Part II
 (after the 5K was the Gator Game)

 I could show lots of pictures of the game, but these two pretty much sum it up!  On to Quarter Finals!

 

'Nuff said!



WHAT A WEEKEND Part 1!

wow!  I'm not sure where to begin with all that went on this weekend.  It was a whirl wind weekend.  So, let's start with Friday....

This verse was our family verse heading into prep for the race!



Scott and I headed downtown early in the morning for a day together.  I was so looking forward to this "date" with Scott.  I love the city so much and was wound up pretty tight in anticipation for the 5K.  Scott is good for me that way. He kept reassuring me, instilling confidence in me and helping me refocus on how far I have come and celebrate that accomplishment. I felt like a teenager in love walking around with him all day!

The Pasta Dinner that night after the girls got in on the train was not only yummy, but a lot of fun!  We laughed all during dinner and so enjoyed the time together - several jokes still come to mind when I think of that night. 

The fun continued after we got to the hotel, organized our "stuff" planned out the morning and got to bed!  Since I am someone who pays a lot of attention to detail and someone who also worries too much about forgetting things I checked and rechecked to be sure I had every thing.  Then I checked the weather.... it was going to be COLD!  The forecast was for temps at about 24 degrees!  The wind was only going to be 5 - 10 mph so slight "wind chill".  I got a late text message from the organizers of the 5K.  It was a weather advisory for the cold! 

Just as fore casted it was COLD...VERY COLD!  We all bundled up as much as we could hoping that once the sun rose it would warm up.  But I have to say that the mile walk over from the hotel to Grant Park was so much fun.  Our excitement level was high and anticipation of doing the event very positive.  We just all missed having Kenzie there.                          

It took a bit to figure out our corrals and where to start, but we were sooo ready!  Dr. Oz gave some encouraging words to begin the race, the National Anthem was played and the gun fired!  We were off!  Bailey and Scott ran together.  Molly hung with me.  I kept telling her to run "her" race and not mine.  About a mile into it she did leave and go on ahead.  Later she would tell me that she WAS running her race.  She said she was having trouble keeping up with ME in the beginning!  WOW!

Scott always encouraged me and supported me - Thanks, Baby!  I do love you!

My family was there at the finish to congratulate me.  Yes, they all finished before I did.  But, I ran MY race.  I had a blast.  I was overcome with emotion and even wept.  Those of you who know me well, are NOT at all surprised by this.  I had tears of joy, I had tears of strength!  I was pretty certain that I ran a good race.  I KNEW I had met my goal and perhaps even surpassed it!  I felt good.  I had a BLAST!!! 

NOW FOR THE CHOCOLATE!

.

My girls, Bailey, Mackenzie and Molly are such a great encouragement to me.  They allow me the time to go run, they always have strong helpful comments when I come in from a run.  I am so excited that both Molly and Bailey have decided to run a 5K (or bigger) a month for a year with me - that is until Bailey leaves for college.  What fun times this will be for us all! 

So in the end I ran great, I had a blast and I WAS ready!  I was flying high all day and all the next day.  It was all I had hoped it would be.  Thank you to everyone who supported me and encouraged me and coached me.  I am the poster child for those who think they can't do this.  YOU CAN!  just try!

(more on the weekend to come)

I'm Ready, I'm Ready...

"I'm Ready?, I'm Ready!!"

Two words that I know are true, but still doubt.  I think we all have doubts about things in our life we should KNOW to be true.  We KNOW something to be true, yet we choose to believe the negative self talk. 

                                                                        "I'm not good enough"

                 "I'm not smart enough"

                 "I'm too fat"

                 "I'm a loser"

                 "I'm not pretty"

                 "I'm too slow"

                 "I can't do that"

                 "I'm not talented enough"

                 "So and So is better, prettier, smarter,

         more successful, more talented, more liked..."

The list can go on and on.

                          

A coaching friend said to me the other day, "You're Ready for this, just have fun!".  I KNOW intellectually that I am ready for this 5K.  I mean, I have run this distance many many times and even did it already in my first 5K! I am lacking the self-confidence part. I am missing the FUN part.

Last night, right before my final run before the race I had a lot of negative thoughts going on in my head.  As I started out, I had to change my frame of mind....Instead of the "ANTS" (Automatic Negative Thoughts) I had to think things like, "I CAN do this, I AM ready, I just want to have fun!"

I ran hard, I ran for fun, I ran because I wanted to, I ran... I had fun!!!!  AND when I got to the end!  I had a PR (Personal Record) for the mile! 

I AM ready, I AM excited! 

I am thankful to have my girls and my husband running with me.

I am so thankful for Molly, the reason we are all doing this to begin with!  She wanted to do this last year but was too late in signing up.  We kept an eye on it and look what HER motivation, HER incentive, HER initiative has turned into!  Not just me taking up running, but now her entire family heading downtown to run in this fun day.

Tomorrow Scott and I head out early to go downtown, pick up all the packets at Union Station and spend the day together shopping, holding hands, walking around my favorite city!  The girls will take the train in after school and we'll pick them up, go out for pasta dinner and head to the hotel for a good night's sleep before heading out to Grant Park at 6:15 AM!  We will be joined by my cousin, Deb and two of her kids, Ashley and Evan and also family friends, John and Brad Wisser.  An old youth from Covenant Church days and Summer Camp, Rebecca Dennis will also be there!  After the race we all get to indulge in CHOCOLATE!!! (it is the Hot Chocolate Run). 

After we get our fill of Chocolate fondue, Chocolate bars, Hot Chocolate we will head home to get the girls to the second round of their high school football playoffs, where they will perform in the half time show!




We will meet up with the 5K friends and family in a reserved room at Lou Malnati's all dressed up in our 5K gear to celebrate our run and eat the best pizza in the world! 

 

We'll end this fantastic weekend with Crystal Lake South's Varsity Pom/Dance Team's first competition of the season on Sunday!!  I love watching my girls perform.  I so enjoy watching Mackenzie dance.  It is her love.  And she is just beautiful as she does one of the things God created her to do! 

GOOD LUCK FAMILY/FRIENDS IN THE 5k

                   GOOD LUCK CLS GATORS!

                   GOOD LUCK CLS POMMIES!!

UNwired!

Last picture with all wires out!

The worst of it is over!  Wires are out.  No more Skeletal, no more posts!  Now its just healing and braces.... Its been a long 3 months.  But that part is now behind her. 

I tried to take pictures of the holes left by the wires and posts, but they didn't turn out and she was really sleepy...

I also tried to take pictures of her smiling, but it was really crooked and she didn't want those in here... Once the anesthesia wears off we will try again...

Until then, Bailey is resting comfortably and wire-free!  Now 6 more months until the braces come off!  Almost to the finish!  OH, and Bailey WILL be running the Hot Chocolate 5K with me on Saturday! 

Thankfulness

November....it conjures up all sorts of images for people...Leaves - Pumpkins - Turkeys - Stuffing - Family....

I know, its not even Halloween yet and I am thinking about November.  But, last year I did something the entire month of November that I want to do again...  I was challenged to be more thankful.  Each day I would post something on Facebook about things for which I was thankful.  I am going to take that same challenge on again this year..... I would love to post the writings of a friend about this same theme....hmmm....maybe I can get permission....




Until then, let me challenge you to spend the month of November being thankful each and every day. 

All Of A Sudden

  It all started with a simple question...

..."Mom, can I have a few friends

over for a pit fire?"

Next thing you know there are cookies baking, Hot Chocolate and Hot Cider warming, a fire glowing....

Then.....from another daughter...

"Mom, can I have a few friends

spend the night?"

with no school on Friday I was happy to accommodate.....

That's when all chaos broke out!

From here all I can say is that there were "scavenger hunts", toilet paper, adventures, laughs, screams, running, and lots of fun.....My girls remind me so much of the fun I had with my best friend so many years ago....

I LOVE TEENAGERS!!!