Part my my family- my daughter, hubby, & me!
I grew up in Springfield, attending Sequiota & Pleasant View Elementary schools, P.V. Middle School, and Hillcrest High School. I then went on to attend one year at Drury University (back then it was Drury College) and decided that I was burnt out on school. (Kids- take my advice- don't be as stupid as I was! Going to school is MUCH easier when you're not married with kids!! Finish school after highschool!!) From there I traveled a little with a local company to open up new branches, and ended up in Miami Beach. I met my first husband (& E's father) there, and lived between NYC & Miami. When she was 4 we moved back to the area, living in Ozark. I was soon a single mom, working a lot, finishing college, and raising a beautiful & energetic little girl! I made lots of mistakes, but thankfully I learned from them! I met Pat on a Friday the 13th, and we have been together ever since! We were married in 2009, and although life hasn't been easy, God has helped us along! He is running his general contractor business & I'm slowly building up my bootcamp and personal training business. So that's my background in a nutshell :)
Which brings me to the reason for this blog- FAITH! I think that having faith is easy when things are going smoothly. When nothing is stressful and life is grand, it's easy to have faith & trust in God. When things are stressful & money is tight & everything seems to be going wrong- THAT is when your faith is tested! I know that some of my stresses at the moment are money, attorney bills, work, R's health (he is recovering from a brain tumor), the future for our family (kids? I'm not getting any younger, but this reverts back to money...!) It's a vicious cycle, and I'm ready to break it!
The Bible says:
"Trust in the Lord and do good; so you will live in the land, and enjoy security. Take delight in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for him." (Psalm 37:3-5, 7a)
It's not easy. It's hard to be patient! But I know that God has a plan for me and I'm trying to patiently wait to see what it is :) Last night I had this realization- and felt that God was talking to me- He was saying to be patient & faithful. He was saying that things were going to work out. I always pray, I go to church, I try to be a good Christian person (yes, I make plenty of mistakes!) but I have never felt his presence like I did last night. I don't know how this will happen, but I have faith that He is going to take care of us!
Another reason for this blog- FAMILY. My family is totally awesome! (yes, I grew up in the 80's & 90's!!) I've already mentioned Pat, E & R. My in-law's live close by and we see them as often we we can (they are busy busy busy!!) My parents live close and are a HUGE part of my life! I see them all the time, and they have made me who I am today! My brother & sister-in-law (& future nephew- in August!!) live in Rogersville, and my sister lives in Texas. Although we are all different, we all have the same background & faith.
My sister, mom, & me
My final reason for this blog- FITNESS. When I decided to get my personal trainer certification and not return to a regular 9-5 job, I really went out on a limb! (less money & getting up every day at 4:30am were both big adjustments for us! Especially the early mornings- I'm not much of an early bird!) I had no clients and no place to work, but things quickly fell into place. I know that God had a hand in that :) If you know me, you know that my family has some crazy health history- cancer, heart attacks, strokes- you name it, we have it (mostly my dad!) This has always made me more aware of health & fitness concepts. I have always tried to be healthy & exercise. But something clicked and I knew that I needed to try to help others take control of their health. I'm definitely not an expert or even a nutritionist. I can only teach from my own experiences, but I am so happy to see the life changes that my clients are making! Losing weight & losing inches are great, but what is even better is when they tell me that they are off of their prescription medications or that they have more energy to go play with their kids now. They are making better choices and regaining the ability to LIVE their life rather than watch it happen! This is the reason that I love this job!!
Love this - so true! Want to get fit? Then do it!!
People often ask what I do to stay healthy... so here it is! I try to do most of the bootcamp's with my clients. I also run & bike. When I really noticed a change in my body composition was when I started being aware of my nutrition. I've always tried to eat healthy, but I've always LOVED sugar & caffeine. I've had to break up with them, & I now love them each a little less :) I did a Whole30 (seriously, if you are looking to change your diet check it out! Yes, it's tough, but it is SO worth it!!) and I now eat a mostly Paleo diet. (I have lots of info on it, just ask if you would like me to email some to you!) And I say mostly because I'm not perfect- I try to make it something that is do-able for my lifestyle, and cheat now & then, but for the most part I stick with it. My body responds to it, making me more energetic & happy (& less tired & cranky!) and I highly recommend it! I do a few non-paleo things, like supplements & I always have my morning coffee :)
This is getting really long - but I wanted to start it out with the reasons behind the creation of this blog! In very specific order- Faith, Family, & Fitness. Because for me, it's God first, family next, and then the rest of life's craziness!
I hope you enjoy my blog!! Have a fab day :)
~Jen
What Faith are you? This looks like a wonderful blog! I look forward to exploring it more! Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteHi Cody, sorry that I just now saw your comment! I'm Christian (Baptist) - and thank you for the kind words!
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