She Runs By Faith

I have a knack for starting books but not finishing them. Looking over my 2015 reads, I will proudly say I am a recovering book-start-aholic! Nine books finished. That has to be a personal record! In the past I haven't kept track. This year I felt really convicted. If I could replace the time spent on social media with book reading, think of how many books I could have gone through in my lifetime! There are so many fantastic books out there I want to read. Here are the books I read this year, starting off with the amazing Corrie Ten Boom. The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom. This book was absolutely amazing, life-changing, and perspective shaking. Corrie Ten Boom shares her experience in the Dutch Underground and a Nazi concentration camp with her family. I hope to read this book with my children when they are mature enough to handle the content. It is a must read! Tramp For The Lord by Corrie Ten Boom.  This was actually the first Corrie Ten Boom book I read. It...

At the end of another year it's beneficial to look back and fun to reminisce of your favorite memories. To see what went well, what didn't, and what to look forward to.  Runner and blogger, RunEatSnap , had a great idea to share a review of her 2015 running and I am going to follow in suit. SO much has happened in our 2015, with the biggest event of all being the arrival of our second baby boy in May! I didn't run a ton of races - only 2 half marathons and 1 5k  - or pack on a bunch of mileage this year but I do have some great running memories and "new mom of 2" experiences to share with you. Best Race Experience The Wild Hog Half Marathon in September was definitely my best race experience. That race was my main training focus for the last half of the year (after Baby W was born) and the run itself went really well. A PR wasn't realistic and I set my mind on running sub-1:40. I sprinted the homestretch of the race and made my goal time with only ...

Merry Christmas to you! Christmas baking is in progress, handmade presents and art supplies are spread all over the kitchen table, cards are arriving in the mail, and our snow (and cold weather) has finally made it here. Basically, our house looks like Christmas-y chaos but it also means my favorite time of the year is here! This week, I am introducing you to one awesome mama for the  Professional Fit Mom series. She is such an encouragement to me and I know you will be encouraged by her, too! Meet Elizabeth.  She is a busy mom of two, personal trainer, TRX intructor and blogger at Fit Life with E . Let's jump into her interview... Coaching/Training: Who or what inspired you to be a coach/trainer? That's a good question! I've always been interested in fitness since I started playing competitive volleyball in high school. In college and I started my first professional work position, I started to get into running and other fitness classes like kickboxing, TR...

This week we get to choose our own free-write word for  Five-Minute Friday . I know. Mind. Blown. My word of choice is: "Together" What's a "free write"? No editing, no over-thinking, no worrying about perfect grammar or punctuation. Just write! 00:00 START the timer! ______________________ "They sure have it all together." Isn't that one of the biggest lies of our lives? Pictures on social media, the people we see at the grocery store and even those lovely Christmas cards sometimes send me the message that everyone has "it" all together. Except me. That is one thing I am concerned about when it comes to writing on the blog, posting on social media or even small-talk after church. Am I portraying the lie that I have it all together? The pictures of our kids on Facebook are all smiles. Little did you know, a meltdown may have occurred 5 minutes before. Sometimes even this 5-minute post takes me... 10 minutes! And...

Hey there! So I'm a bit late to join up with Jill and the  #fitfam crew this week but, as the saying goes, better late than never. The little ones and I went out this morning to enjoy the fresh snow brought in by today's winter storm warning. I guess 4-6" of snow is on the way. As long as our power stays on, bring on the snow! Today we're talking Instagram . Even earlier in 2015, I will admit I was skeptical of Instagram. Who needs a never-ending stream of pictures when you have Facebook? I'm not a huge social media junkie because, well, I have a "dumb phone" (read: not a smartphone). GASP! People still have those weird flip phone things? Yes, I do. It has been a blessing but possibly a curse for my husband. I borrow his smartphone when I share photos on Instagram. Anywhooo. Instagram has grown on me and I will say it is easily my favorite form of social media. Social media can be annoying and distracting but it has been a great tool for gr...

We woke up to beautiful light blanket of snow this morning! E prayed for snow last night (because we have had hardly any this year!) and here it is. He was so excited when he first looked out the window! Today's  Five-Minute Friday  free-write word is "Reflect". What's a "free write"? No editing, no over-thinking, no worrying about perfect grammar or punctuation. Just write! 00:00 START the timer! ______________________ Writing out the address over and over again can be a monotonous job but it gives me time to reflect on the year. I look at our family and all of the changes God has brought our way. As cards come in the mail, I see how our family and friends are all growing and changing so much. How do kids grow so fast?! Here's a little secret: I'm one of "those" people who leave their Christmas cards up year 'round! Taking time to reflect allows us to see all of God's blessing and provision.  Hindsight re...

2015, where have you gone?! This wild, exciting year is coming to an end.... and that means it's time to set some goals for the new year! Our Christmas tree and the Christmas music on the radio are my reminders that, yes, it is in fact December. Yet the weather outside is far from frightful and our Christmas is definitely not white. Even in the northern parts of the States, we have hardly any snow. Today it's a bright and sunny 40°F! It's crazy. We have had very few days in the single digit temps! I'm not complaining one bit. My S.M.A.R.T. Goals for 2016 So, goals. I like goals! The key to setting yourself up for goal-reaching success is to make them " SMART" :   Specific - Measurable - Achievable - Results-focused - Time-bound. I don't think all of our goals need to be SMART goals necessarily, but following the SMART guideline is helpful in making my goals better defined and more focused. Here are my focus points for this new year: 1. A...

Thanksgiving flew by and now we're back to "normal" life. I hope you had a blessed time with family and/or friends. We had a great time with our families and, wow, does the time fly when you're having fun! For today's Five-Minute Friday , our free-write word is "Season". What's a "free write"? No editing, no over-thinking, no worrying about perfect grammar or punctuation. Just write! 00:00 START the timer! ______________________ Last night toddler was in the bathtub, baby in his walker, and I was sitting on the toddler stool in our bathroom, just staring off into the sink faucet. My mind felt blurry and all I could think was... What a season. Today I found E coloring at the kitchen table. That was fine. Problem was he was pants-less. I made a new impromptu rule in the house: "To sit at the kitchen table you must at least have underwear on." What a season. On our morning walk, we had a major melt down. For ...

I received this product for free from the sponsor of the Moms Meet program, May Media Group LLC, who received it directly from the manufacturer. As a Moms Meet blogger, I agree to use this product and post my opinion on my blog. My opinions do not necessarily reflect the opinions of May Media Group LLC or the manufacturer of this product. The winter weather has been good to us (so far)! My boys and I have been able to get outside for quite a few walks lately. Taking the dog for a walk - or run - around the neighborhood is one of our favorite activities any time of the year. We love our pup. He is a part of our family! When we are trying to keep busy indoors, E insists that we read the ASPCA kids: Rescue Readers book series over and over again. He's not just a dog lover; E loves animals in general. As a Moms Meet blogger, I received this book series to review and share with you. Studio Fun International has partnered with the American Society for the Prevention of Cru...

Halfway through November and we finally got our snow! Now it officially feels like the holiday season is near. For today's Five-Minute Friday , our free-write word is "Dwell". What's a "free write"? No editing, no over-thinking, no worrying about perfect grammar or punctuation. Just write! 00:00 START the timer! ______________________ How lovely is Your dwelling place, Lord Almighty! My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. PSALM 84:1-2 I love these verses. How lovely is Your dwelling place, Lord Almighty! For much of my life I wasn't "dwelling" with the Lord. Until I surrendered my life to the Lord almost 5 years ago, I was just a dweller in the tents of the wicked (v. 10). I can confidently say that even a "bad day" walking with the Lord is better than the best day of living without Him.  Without the Lord, the weight of the w...

Disclosure: I received this product for free through my affiliation with Fit Approach as a Sweat Pink Ambassador in exchange for a blog review. I received no other compensation and opinions are 100% my own. Ah, the holidays are almost here!  Thanksgiving and Christmas are my two favorite holidays. Time with family, extra time thanking the Lord for all of His goodness, beautiful snowy weather, and, oh, the food. SO much delicious food! About that delicious food... It is extra hard to keep from over-indulging when you are surrounded by tasty meals, desserts and snacks for days on end (#firstworldproblems). I'm all about sweets but it's the "in moderation" that can be a challenge during the family get-togethers. As a Sweat Pink Ambassador, I was introduced to MealEnders last week and these tiny treats are the perfect tool to end excessive post-meal snacking. MealEnders are a 15-calorie "signaling lozenge" made up of a sweet outer reward layer an...

Hello, Monday! For this week's Runner Spotlight interview, we are hearing from a runner from my part of the country. You know, the cold part?! The Runner Spotlight  came to be because I love to meet new people and, of course, talk running. Twice a month, a new runner will be featured on the Runner Spotlight. Through these interviews, we will meet and learn from runners of all distances, paces and food preferences. Meet Auralee. She is a wife, mom of two little boys and a passionate long distance runner. Her ability to balance family life and long distance training (plus running super fast) has been a great encouragement to me! Marathon training isn't for the faint of heart and, well, neither is motherhood. Being a mom of little ones and training for a marathon at the same time may sound like madness to some - but it's doable. And there is a rare breed that actually ENJOYS it! Let's hear from Auralee and how she gets it all done. All About Running: Wh...

Good morning! It's  Five-Minute Friday  and our free-write topic is "Weary". What's a "free write"? No editing, no over-thinking, no worrying about perfect grammar or punctuation. Just write! 00:00 START the timer! ______________________ Every day the world is yelling, "DO more! BE more! You're NOT enough!". Satan has orchestrated this culture to find its value in busyness. The Enemy wants our schedules packed, our minds swimming and our household in a constant state of hurry. There are (too many) times when I say "yes" to a few too many commitments or when I fall for the lie that I need to do more than "just" raise my boys and take care of my family. My most common mistake is to jump in to a design project or other commitment before I ask the Lord about it. He has given me clear guidance that I am "mom" full-time and designer (or whatever else) after that. (My habit of jumping ahead of the Lor...

Happy Monday and Day 2 of the #HolidaySweat Challenge ! What's that sweaty challenge all about? The #HolidaySweat Challenge involves tracking your minutes of exercise and your fruit and veggie intake each day by logging them at fitapproach.com/holidaysweat . Set goals, stay motivated and encourage others throughout the holiday season! TODAY'S PROMPT: What's your minutes goal this week? How will you get there?! My #HolidaySweat GOAL(s) Each week, I am shooting for at least 250 minutes of exercise plus 5-7 servings of fruits and veggies. Fitting in the fruits and veggie servings is more difficult for me than the exercise. Yes, I'm a "freggies" slacker. This challenge will be good for me AND my family! The HOW Fitting in exercise with my two little ones at home sometimes feels like a juggling act but making the time to exercise is worth it! I do my best to stay flexible with my schedule, get creative with the strength training and manage my...

Welcome to  Five-Minute Friday 's free-write! Today's topic is "Dance". What's a "free write"? No editing, no over-thinking, no worrying about perfect grammar or punctuation. Just write! 00:00 START the timer! ______________________ Flash back 3.5 years ago... We spent the day surrounded by friends and family. Dressed in our finest clothes. Slightly damp and chilled from a cool and rainy day in May. After the exchange of our wedding vows and a bunch of wedding pictures, we excitedly made our way to the reception. We visited with family and friends who traveled from near and far to be with us on our special day. We ate meatballs, drank coffee and inhaled that amazingly delicious raspberry-filled white cake. It was time for our first dance . The song was "Crazy Like You" by Josh Grider (not particularly romantic, but true for us!) "I say everybody's crazy so what you gonna to do You need to find somebody craz...

I hope your November is off to a marvelous start! For today's Runner Spotlight interview, we are talking with elite runner Tina Muir! The Runner Spotlight  came to be because I love to meet new people and, of course, talk running. Twice a month, a new runner will be featured on the Runner Spotlight. Through these interviews, we will meet and learn from runners of all distances, paces and food preferences. Without further ado, meet Tina Muir. She is an elite runner sponsored by Saucony. Tina shares her insight into life as an elite runner on her blog,  Fuel Your Future with Tina Muir , and is community manager at Runners Connect . Interviewing Tina was so much fun because, despite being ridiculously fast, she is very down-to-earth. Being a middle-of-the-pack runner myself, the elite runners seem to be off in their own (much faster) world yet Tina is a great spokeswoman for elites being "real" people, too. They deal with the ups and downs of running and the batt...

I vote today as the most unique  Five-Minute Friday  topic ever. Our topic today: BACON . It's a bit odd, slightly quirky but who doesn't love bacon?! I enjoy bacon but it did feel strange making a header image of just... bacon. What's a "free write"? No editing, no over-thinking, no worrying about perfect grammar or punctuation. Just write! 00:00 START the timer! ______________________ The interrogation begins the second our sweet little toddler wakes up. "We have pancakes for breakfast?"  No, no pancakes today. Mommy is making bacon and eggs. Then come the wants. I want cheese. I want the flashlight. I want eggs. I want milk. I want bacon , mama. Some days he gets the "May I please have _____?" down pretty well but not this morning. Maybe by the time he's 3 it will start to sink in... I don't mind him asking for things. We love our kids and want to give them good things! But, whew, it gets draining when e...