Change is good... Running to HIS arms!

So last summer, I began a blog. Seemed like a good thing to do. God has transformed my life and I wanted to share some of my transformation along with some future goals (AKA 30 things I want to do before I turn 30). A blog is a great way to document a journey and encourage others.

But now... I sense God turning my life (and this blog) in a new direction. I'm still going to complete the 30 before 30 goals and use the blog to document that, but I'm changing things up a bit. Full of excitement and joy, I am going to run this new race pursuing after God's call for my life.

Last fall after a wonderful weekend visit with my best friend Jullian, I started a journey that is now in week 4 of a bible study entitled "Run for God." Run for God is a 5k training plan and devotion to strengthen us; physically, mentally, and spiritually. God is doing some really awesome things through Run for God and I'll share more on that in future posts.

For now, here's where we are. I am going to continue to use this blog to share my story of transformation and track my 30 before 30 goals. In addition, I am going to use it to encourage you to foster change in your life: Physically, Mentally, and Spiritually. This blog is going to document a new direction for my life: Helping others change their physical bodies through training the body, focusing the mind, and strengthening the soul.

This journey is not just on the blog. I am going to become a certified group fitness instructor and (maybe somewhere down the road) a personal trainer. God is already opening doors (through relationships, finances, and other really cool opportunities). Now I'm not quitting my day job (at least that's not what I feel God telling me to do at this time) but I do feel like this could become a full time career in the future. For now, I am going to pursue this path in addition to my current employment.

I would really appreciate your prayers, comments, feedback, encouragement, and love as I seek after God's will for my life. I am confident in Christ for he knows every step I should (and will) take before I even begin. He places opportunities, people, and events in our paths to prepare our body, mind, and heart for future plans he has for us. I am trusting in his plan for me.

#23 - Inspire someone and Thank someone that inspires me.

For someone to tell me "I inspire them" is probably one of my top 10 favorite things to hear. Not to be boastful or proud, but it is a huge accomplishment to be an inspiration instead of... well not an inspiration. It wasn't too long ago that I was in a place where no one would have been inspired by "little ole me". I was not in a good place emotionally, physically, spiritually... I was just plain unhealthy.

But by the grace of God, he has made a new creature! 2012 has seriously been the best year of my entire life for so many reasons. Here's a few:

1. I married the most amazing man! He loves me for who I am. Encourages me. Protects me. And so much more...
2. With this amazing man came an amazing family! I am truly blessed for my wonderful new family.
3. My big brother has grown so much! He is now a brother in the Masons! I am so proud of him!
4. Adam and I have been blessed to meet and get to know some really amazing people! God has blessed us with so many wonderful friends and great couple friends at that. I don't want to leave anyone off, but you guys know you have blessed us so incredibly much.
5. I've got to complete a triathlon, a second half marathon, and some other great races along the way. God has kept me healthy and given me an awesome friend throughout the process!
6. I changed jobs (this could have been a huge unhappy thing, but God knew my heart and transformed me throughout the process) The boy scouts has taught me an incredible amount. I am thankful for the friendships and lessons learned but sometimes... it's better to move on. I am excited for this new opportunity.
7. We bought a house. Yes, it is a big deal. A house!
8. I have grown so much with my relationship with Christ. I am on a journey of learning and growing that I hope will continue each and everyday I live.
9. Blessing after blessing after blessing... really amazing year!

I already see so many wonderful opportunities in 2013, but back to the inspiration blog...

My main inspiration is Christ. He truly is the perfect examply, but I believe he puts great people on earth to journey with you. Here are some people that inspire me:

1.My mom - She has and always will inspire me. She is strong (sometimes stubborn), thoughtful, caring, humble, passionate, and most of all, she would do anything for her children (and future grandchildren)
2. My husband - His spirit is so beautiful. He has a child like heart, but it's the best spiritual leader of our home. I am thankful for his heart for Christ!
3. My Mother in law - She is has such a beautiful heart for giving. I am convinced she would give everything she had for her children, grandchildren, or anyone for that matter. I am thankful for a spirit of giving. I can see that giving spirit in Adam daily!
4. Meghan and Mason Stewart - I hope you guys get a chance to read this. You two are such a wonderful display of Christ's love! We are thankful for your transparency and heart!
5. Super awesome, consistent runner people - Steven and Allison Miles, Kaci Lesley, and all those other awesome running people that I can see on facebook. You guys inspire me!

On to inspiring...

Most of the comments I have received about inspiring fall into the physical category for me (mainly because that is what's easiest to see). Here are some encouraging thoughts I sent to a friend a few months ago via facebook.

Its a daily choice to be healthy...I do not diet. If you are planning on choosing a diet and doing it for a while then going back to what you currently do...you won't be successful.
Losing weight is simple... calories in vs calories out. To lose weight you must have a calorie deficit... Now how you get to that is different.

Here's the best way to start.
1. Cut out alcohol and sodas, Completely! This has to be the first thing. There are so many horrible calories in those two that no matter how hard you exercise, you can not get that weight off. Plus neither one of them are fulfilling anything for you personally... 2 years ago I committed to this and this is the best decision I have made!

2. Exercise. Yup you knew that was coming. I started off slow with exercise. I had developed a slight problem with number 1 (the alcohol part) and when I cut that horrible habit, I had to replace it with something. I chose exercise specifically walking/jogging. I started off super slow because I hated running but then I started setting goals to run 1 mile. Then to run/walk 2 miles. Then before I knew it, I had completed my first 5k. Best feeling ever!! From then I kept setting goals to work after to improve my fitness. See its more about setting small goals and making a choice each day to improve yourself. Now if running doesn't get you excited do something that will. Choosing something you will do daily or at least 4-5 times a week is the key. Don't try to do everything at once. If you like to dance, Zumba is a good place to start. I did Zumba but quickly found out it wasn't challenging enough for me. I really like to push the limits with exercise (that's what keeps me going)

3. Food. This matters just as much as the exercise. What you put in your body really matters. Trash in. Trash out. Now don't go quit everything that you like...your body will hate you. Start slow and wing yourself off things... Things to start with... change your bread to whole grain. Milk to 2% or 1% (i prefer skim but that's not for everybody) Limit sweets. I just spent a month without them... best thing ever for me. Not the best thing ever for my husband... Fruits and vegetables rock. You can eat lots of them with very little calories. makes you feel full for a lot longer.

4. Make some exercise and nutrition friends. You have got to have people on this journey with you. Even if it is just online support. I would be happy to be a support for you. With that being said, those people must hold you accountable too. My husband was a great support for me and I found a really great running partner.

OK this turned into a novel... it doesn't happen overnight. In November/December of 2010 when I was at my highest weight (almost 190 pounds...yuck and lowest point in my life which was even worse than the weight) I made a decision to change and get healthy. I have not looked back once. I do not regret one decision I have made in the past two years. You'll find out quickly that the weight isn't the only thing that changes...

If I can do anything to help, let me know!!

Weight (body image in general) really isn't the main problem. There is usually some rooted issue that you have to work out before you can make true change. These past couple of years have been life changing (not just physically) for me. When you commit your life to Christ, in a moment you are forgiven of your sins. The awesome thing about God is that even though he forgives immediately, our character doesn't change immediately. He allows us to begin a journey of transformation. God's grace and forgiveness is perfect and watching the character transformation unfold is just icing on the cake! Here's to many more years of growing and transforming into Christ's image daily!

#14 - Cook and host Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner

I'm not sure what it is about hosting a family dinner that is a "ride of passage" for a female, but I was very excited to! I'm sure I'll go into more detail later, but it's not nearly as stressful as people make it out to be. It was actually a fun, family event for us and a welcomed change to the chaos that a move and redecorating can cause.

So on Christmas Eve, Adam and I hosted my family for lunch. My family includes my mom, granny, brother and sister in law, uncle and aunt, and Adam and I. Crystal, my awesome Sister in law, brought her dad which gave us a total of 9 (which is probably why it wasn't very stressful - i wasn't feeding an army...)

So here's some pictures... because those speak better than words :)

 Adam and I have a high table with only four chairs, so we "splurged" on these $45 card table and chair set from Walmart. It was the best way for me to have a table in time for everyone to sit at the same place. Watch out craigslist because I am officially looking for a "real" table :) Here's a close up of the place settings. Yes, I used disposable plates and napkins (I wanted it to be festive, and our dishes are blue, brown, and yellow)

 

This is a picture of Brian and Crystal (my brother and sister in law) with Adam and I.

Love these two and I love this picture!

 

Steve and Donna (my Aunt and Uncle) brought the ham (from honey bake) and I picked up a turkey (from honey bake) I was not crazy enough to attempt cooking meat on my first attempt at Christmas dinner... I was, however, crazy enough to host dinner at our home we had just moved into the previous weekend...

 

Yummy sides - notice everything has cheese on it...I did not make all of these! It just happened that we all picked things that had cheese.

 

 

 

More sides, I bought this yummy pasta salad in the center from 12th Street Deli. Mom brought a pasta salad on the left and we (by we I mean Crystal) made some deviled eggs.

 

Yes, my husband is always first in line and first to eat.  

 

Well that's it. Another 30 before 30 in the books. Maybe next year, the kitchen will have a nice facelift, maybe a "real" table and plates, I could attempt to cook meat... but really that's not what hosting is all about - It's really about the fellowship of all those awesome people sitting at the table!

#4 - Buy a home.

This just in - The Kellers are homeowners :) Here are some special thanks we should say before I move on to house details!

1. We are thankful to God for allowing us to purchase a home! It truly is a blessing to us, and we never want to take that for granted. We pray that we are good stewards of this home and many blessing will come from it. We are also thankful that God gave me (Charity) patience through this process because waiting is not a strong characteristic of mine. Being truthful...

2. We are thankful for our new neighbor, Candy, for letting us know about this home. At first I blew it off because I didn't think we were ready (aka not enough money saved, i was about to change jobs, life, etc)... Obviously, I'm not the one that has the final say.

3. We are thankful for a great Mortgage officer - Amy Brooks at Iberiabank Mortgage. She was fabulous! Since we didn't have a real estate pro - she got the brunt of my million questions and was very nice and informative throughout the entire process! Strongly recommend her!

4. We are thankful for Carl Decker - who is the executor of his aunt's estate (which is the house we bought). We were able to negotiate directly with them which saved us from getting any other parties involved.

5. We are thankful for all the great contacts we dealt with along the way (and maybe they could be helpful to someone else some day) Jenni Spears at Spears Insurance - awesome! we even switched car insurance to them and saved a ton, Mark Hodge who did our home inspection, Arey, Long, and Cross Law firm, Bill Arey did our closing (super quick and funny - win in my book)

6. We are thankful for awesome friends and family! This should be #2 but I'm going in order of how things happen... We are seriously blessed and thankful for the following people who made the move possible and easier and gave us emotional support and encouragement throughout the entire process!

Our parents - Burton & Gina Keller and Marie Thompson, our siblings (esp Jonathan and Kyle for helping with the heavy lifting - but we are thankful to all of you guys), our friends - Kate Range, Drew & Teresa Dickson (and the boys), Sharon & Nick Jack, Candy & Olivia Gates, Paul & Cindy Deball, and everyone who I will miss that have prayed for us, stopped by the house blessing, or encouraged us throughout it! We are very appreciative!

Now on to the house part - I'm convinced that first time home owners should receive a manual before they ever think about purchasing a home. Here's exactly what I did wrong, so future first time home owners - be warned!

1. Do not change jobs while trying to buy a home. Seriously. Just don't do it. It was totally a God thing for us. So fighting it would have been worse... enough on that.
2. Don't give yourself tightdeadlines. Like having to be out of your current place because something well happen that delays it. We extended this to the max and then ended up moving out in 5 hours...
3. Student Loans are the devil. Pay them on time - always. Watch were they are because they change hands a lot. And know when you are in a grace period and when that ends. Again, Student Loans are the devil.
4. Self employed individuals are not favored in the home buying process - my poor hubby :(

5. If you have little, no, or bad credit - fix it now. Make sure things are accurate.

6. Don't make poor decisions in college, they will come back to bite you.

Ok enough of that... a million and one things went well or we wouldn't be in a new home. So here's some pictures :) Enjoy and if you like to remove wallpaper, paint, or renovate a bathroom... you're welcome over in work clothes at any time!

Here's our cute new house from the road. Location wise - It's perfect. Very close to the park. Right on the rails to trails (aka - Fall Line Trace) where I love to run and bike. Convenient to shopping, dining, etc and for future Kellers, it's zoned for great schools.

 Here's two pictures of the kitchen the day we toured the house. Isn't that guy super handsome?

The kitchen and the bathrooms probably need the most TLC but they are very functional just as they are!

 

 Here's a couple pictures of the hall bath. We (and by we, I mean Kate Range) went crazy on the wall paper in the hall bath, so now we can finish removing it and paint this room first! Hopefully, we can post our first renovation pics this weekend.



This is the laundry/ pantry - right off the kitchen. It's huge compared to what we had before. Little paint and TLC here will make a world of difference.

 

This is the one of the two small bedrooms. The other one has nothing in it, so we'll leave that space off.

 This is the master bedroom. Our master bath comes equipped with a handicap jetted tub if anyone is interested in removing and remodeling!

Here's a picture of the kitchen with our things in it and on the right, us (and the Deballs) attempting to remove wallpaper... this is not going to be fun.

 and finally here's a snapshot of our new living area ready for Christmas! We are hosting my family for Christmas in our new home! Super excited (and it's another item off the 30 before 30) Merry Christmas to us (and a Merry Christmas to you!)

#16 Find my life passion.

Passion. It's such a deep word. More than just feelings. More than just liking something. More than love. Dictionary.com has 9 different definitions of the word:

1.	ardent love or affection
2.	intense sexual love
3.	a strong affection or enthusiasm for an object, concept, etc: a passion for poetry
4.	any strongly felt emotion, such as love, hate, envy, etc
5.	a state or outburst of extreme anger: he flew into a passion
6.	the object of an intense desire, ardent affection, or enthusiasm
7.	an outburst expressing intense emotion: he burst into a passion of sobs
8.	philosophy
	a.any state of the mind in which it is affected by something external, such as perception, desire, etc, as contrasted with action
	b.feelings, desires or emotions, as contrasted with reason
9.	the sufferings and death of a Christian martyr Here's the words and phrases that stick out to me: Intense, enthusiasm, strong, outburst, desire, sufferings, death. Wow - sufferings and death? Is their anything I am that crazy about? to the level of sufferings and death? So how does one come to find their life passion? Does it change? Am I too young to have a passion? Here's the thing. I like a lot of things. I like running. I like serving others. I like people for the most part. I like sunny days. I like butterflies. Ok that's enough... you get the picture. I even love quite a few things and people in my life. I love my husband. I love my family. I love my church family and friends. I love my puppies. but what am I truly passionate about? One word - Christ. He is the only person I know that endured suffering and death - for me (and you). To me, if I'm going to be passionate about anything, it has to be Christ. First and foremost. See I believe that when you are fully passionate about Christ, your cup is so full that you become passionate about others. There's an inner light that springs out of you because you can't contain all the love. You become the hands and feet of Christ. Giving is the center of your spirit. I long for that daily. It's an intense, strong desire for more. To grow closer to him. To be a better wife, daughter, friend, coworker. With Christ at the center of my life, I can share more. Love more. Give more because I understand that I am nothing without him. I read this on a friends facebook a few days ago. It's def worth keeping and resharing.

 

 

So if you are struggling with a vision, a focus, or looking for passion in your life. I encourage you to look to the source. Find what will truly and deeply change your life. Christ is a transforming power that will take you from the bottom, forgive you, and light up your life. He sure has done that for me.

#2. Grow in my faith.

This is another one of those hard to cross off goals... I will always be working on this one, but I have come to a point where I want to share how God has worked in my life. It's a personal one. I'm a work in progree. Special treat: It's a sneak peak into my testimony which I am looking forward to sharing very soon!

Over the past few months, I (and quite a few other wonderful ladies) have been on a journey to "Calm our anxious hearts." This is a wonderful study for anyone who struggles with worry or anxiety (and who doesn't at some point) The book is written by Linda Dillow. Here's a link to the book on Amazon. Ok enough of that promo.

The study has really challenged me at just the perfect time. The past two years have been amazing (I'll tell more about that in my testimony) but over the past few months, I have really struggled with "my path" and trying to plan out the future. Epic fail. What I really needed to learn is that Charity has a tendency to really mess things up, but God has the perfect path for me.

Sunday night, as we completed the last chapter, I began to write words that described the journey for me. Here's the list just as I wrote them, and I'll explain them along the way.

THANKFULNESS & PRAYER - Isn't God just awesome with his timing. Happy early Thanksgiving. There is no way you can worry while you are being thankful. There is also no way you can worry while in prayer. So now, when I am anxious or facing what seems like a fork in the road, I stop and identify that worry, thank God for all the blessings in my life and say a prayer turning that worry over to Christ. I may have to do that over and over again, but it's way better than the alternative.

PERSPECTIVE & FOCUS- I wear contacts - I am blind without them. The way I "see things" with no contacts is completely different from the clear vision that I have with them in. Without the contacts, I can't really see where I am going. Many people today are nearsighted, not in their eye sight but in their life focus. Who are my eyes set on? What do I focus on? What perspective do I have? Am I walking through life in a blur?

FAITH & TRUST - Faith is the foundation of the Christian walk, but how many of us actually understand our faith. Dictionary.com gives the following definitions of faith:
1. confidence or trust in a person or thing: faith in another's ability.

2. belief that is not based on proof: He had faith that the hypothesis would be substantiated by fact.

3. belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion, the firm faith of the Pilgrims.

4. belief in anything, as a code of ethics, standards of merit, etc.: to be of the same faith with someone concerning honesty.

5. a system of religious belief: the Christian faith; the Jewish faith.

 

Lidna Dillow asked several woman how they defined faith:

Faith is believing God is true to his word when my feelings are screaming something else.

Faith is the certain belief in what I know to be true but cannot at that moment see or touch.

Faith is completing my small part of the picture puzzle without being able to see the finished product.

 

Charity's definition FAITH = TRUST. Trust isn't easy. Humans are flawed. I'm flawed. It's hard to trust people, but trust becomes much easier when you add the words "In God". Trust in God. He's the only one with no character flaws. He's the only one with the perfect plan for each of our lives.

 

Ok... saving on blog length... Here's some more of the words I wrote and then I'll wrap up with two final words.

 

CONTENTMENT, TRANSFORMED, ACCEPTANCE OF THE PAST, RELINQUISH THE FUTURE, HUMBLE, ACT OF WORSHIP

 

YIELDING CONTROL - BLESSED CONTROLLER. I am a bit of a control freak. Admitting you have a problem is the first step to overcoming :) I want to know. I want to be in charge. It's just a character flaw of mine. But in order to grow my faith... I have to relinquish control. Hard. Tough. Yuck. Fight. Kick. Will be working on daily, but I am relinquishing control to the blessed controller. The one who is in control of all things and I can rest in Him and His goodness.

 

So there's my heart. Growing. Transforming.

#9 - Run my second half marathon.

Well it's done. another 13.1 miles in the books. On Saturday, November 10th, I ran the Soldier Half Marathon on Fort Benning, GA. Here are 13.1 thoughts on the race.

1. I really do love to run. I've decided you either love or hate running. Lots of people hate running. There is no "happy medium." Encouraging tip - if you hate running, please find something you like that requires movement :)

2. Running partners rock. Seriously. I'm sure everyone thinks their running partner is the best, but Kate really is the best. Thanks!!

3. Training for a half marathon is ten times more difficult that just running the half marathon. Lots of blood, sweat, and tears on the fall line trace.

4. The scurry before a race makes me smile. I don't know why. Maybe you just have to see it to understand.

5. Pre-race ceremonies always get to me. Anticipation, I guess, but this one was extra special. Hearing the national anthem while standing where hundreds of soldiers have been overwhelmed my heart! So honored.

6. Back to the race... Running on Fort Benning is by far one of the best places to run. Our soldiers and their families sacrifice so much

7. Drill Sergeants make hills fun. Just trust me on this one.

8. The race was nice and flat. Lots of running company. Although I am not really a big fan of seeing the faster runners on their way back while I'm still running out... guess I'll learn to speed up or deal with it.

9. Speaking of speed. I do not like to run fast. Sometimes while I run, I think about running faster then I stop thinking.

10. Doing something a second time is always better than the first. Although I really loved the first half, this one was even better. Maybe my second full marathon will be better than my first. Once I finally get to a first...

11. Water stations rock. On that same note, volunteers rock. It's so awesome to see so many great volunteers out supporting and cheering us on. I walk water stations, so I like them even more for the break from running.

12. Back to running, I'm so thankful for the health to be able to run 13 miles. I am truly blessed.

13. Finish lines are awesome. I always enjoy the last mile of a run. I enjoy the last mile of a 2 mile run just as much as 13. There's just something about finishing your goal for the day that I love. Oh and it's always fun to smile for the finish line photo.

13.1 Moms and Husbands that support their crazy daughter and wife's running habits mean the world to me! Thanks to my mom and sweet husband for all their love and support. I love you guys!