Dashing Dish

Have you ever found yourself thinking, “If I could just lose those last 10 pounds…”, “If I could only get that promotion…”, ” If I could only have nicer things…”(and the list goes on). If you are living and breathing on this earth, then there’s a strong possibility that you’ve found yourself thinking these types of thoughts whether you realize it or not.

As women, much of where we feel our ‘imperfections’ lie are discovered only after we measure ourselves against others. Often times, we may even feel like we ‘look pretty good’, or that ‘we’ve got great things going for us’ only to go outside of our homes and see someone who has something that we don’t. Suddenly, we find ourselves feeling dissatisfied, wishing that we could change or improve something about our lives.

How amazing has this fall season been so far!?! I’ve been taking in the amazing natural beauty of Michigan right now, as the trees are turning different shades of colors! I have to say that we’ve had the best of both worlds lately, with 70 degree and sunny weather, and all of the beauty of the changing seasons!

When I was about 14 years old I was the ‘typical’ teenage girl. I enjoyed sleepovers with my friends, flirting with boys, and I was even on my high schools cheer team! I was pretty carefree, much like a teenager should be…Until one day, that sense of being ‘young and free’ suddenly came to a screeching halt when a boy came up to me at school, and handed me a picture he drew. It was a picture of the backside of a woman who was severely overweight, and busting out of her clothes. (Take note, I was a pretty average size teen at the time).

As I sat there looking at the drawing, I still remember the words that came out of his mouth… He looked at me laughing and said, “I want you to know that that is what you look like from behind.” It was at that very moment that I suddenly went from a ‘carefree’ young woman, unaware up until that point of my body, to believing a lie that would have me in a bondage for the next 8 years of my life.

I was so blessed this past week to go to Los Angeles California with my husband on a business trip! My hubby works for a group of web designers called “Fixel”, and the awesome part is…They are all amazingly talented Men of God that use their gifts and talents for the Lord!

I was so excited about this trip for a few reasons… One being that I’ve never been to California, second being that I was going to meet the men my husband works with every day, (they are all based out of Oregon, but Sean does his work from home, and skypes with them), and last but not least, I was going to meet all of the wives of the Fixel guys!

We rented a home in downtown Pasadena, which was such a fun area! We were pretty close to all of the ‘main attractions’ which included Rodeo Drive, Hollywood, and the Santa Monica Pier…All of which we visited during the week!

As we were landing in California I was amazed at the natural beauty of the state, even before we set foot on ground! It’s a bit more ‘hilly’ than Michigan I’d say! ;)

I met up with an amazing young woman the other day who is beginning her weight loss journey. As we were talking and sharing stories, I told her about some of the key things that ‘finally’ brought me to a place of health and balance. One of those things was renewing my mind with The Word of God.

I’ll never forget, one night as I was laying in bed, I heard the scripture Proverbs 4:20-22 so clearly in my heart. I was so excited to read what it said, that I literally jumped out of bed! When I opened up my bible I read these words that would forever impact my life:

²⁰ My son, pay attention to what I say;
turn your ear to my words.
²¹ Do not let them out of your sight,
keep them within your heart;
²² for they are life to those who find them
and health to one’s whole body.

My family and I just returned from Traverse City a few days ago, and I’m already wishing I could go back! If I could use one word to describe my trip to Norther Michigan, I would call it RELAXING!

Northern Michigan is one of the most beautiful places because of all of the Great Lakes that surround the area. Speaking of beautiful, we also took a visit to what was just named “Americas Most Beautiful Place to Visit”, The Sleeping Bear Dunes!

We decided to take a four day trip to Traverse City after we had to cancel our original summer vacation, due to scheduling conflicts…so my older sister and brother in law weren’t able to join us on this trip, so we missed them for sure!

Now off to the Daily Dish~ A Week Spent in Beautiful Northern Michigan!

First of all, I had to share this application on Seans I Phone! It literally showed the route that we took through Michigan from Ann Arbor to Traverse City!  The drive that was only supposed to take us 4 hours ended up being about 5-6 hours after a flat tire on the way up!

It has been an amazing, (and busy) past couple of days for me! It was my brother-in-law’s 30th birthday! My sister Sarah wanted to make it extravagant, because let’s face it, stepping out of your 20′s is a big deal! My sister’s love language is gifts, and party-planning, and let me tell you, she know’s how to make people around her feel loved!

We started Phil’s ‘Birhday Week’ with a surprise dinner at a really nice restaurant in Ann Arbor, Quarter Bistro.

Here is my side of the family…My husband Sean and myself, my younger sister Emily, Phil~ (Sarah’s husband, and the birthday boy), my older sister Sarah, and my mom and dad!

I’ve found that it’s the little thing that have really helped me enjoy and continue on my journey to healthy living! As a way of saying THANK YOU to all of the amazing people that support Dashing Dish, I would like to share a few of these ‘little pleasures’ that have made living a healthy lifestyle all the more enjoyable!

Three Winners Will Receive:

• Nu Naturals Stevia- A 50ct  box of NuStevia Packets and a bottle of NuNaturals Vanilla Stevia Liquid. I love this brand of stevia, because after trying many brands out there, it’s the only one that I can say doesn’t have a funny aftertaste, and it tastes just like sugar!
• Power Body ICE with Jody Trierweiler DVD- An intermediate to advanced workout, that really get’s you working! And no equipment is needed, so you now you never have an excuse not to workout! Workout DVD’s have been a lifesaver for me when I’m running short on time, but need to fit a workout in my day! This one is particularly amazing, and was created by one amazing lady who loves the Lord!

To enter this giveaway you could do one of two things:

• Find your favorite Dashing Dish recipe, and put a link back to it on your Facebook page!
• If you have a website, mention, and put a link back to your favorite Dashing Dish recipe on your site!

Then leave a comment here saying that you did!

Winners will be announced on August 9, 2001~ which is one week from today! Good Luck and Thank You again for all your love and support!!!

Hey everyone! I’ve been soaking up these beautiful summer days here in Michigan, and yes…It’s usually humid or raining, but I can’t complain…It’s summer time! I thought I’d share a Daily Dish post that is filled with pictures of what I’m loving most about summer time! So Here We Go! :)

Making homemade frozen yogurt and ice cream with my ice cream maker! (How cute is this apron!?! my friend had it made for me with the Dashing Dish logo embroidered on it! Thanks Dayna I love it!!!)

When I was doing my morning devotionals the other day, God brought me to one that I knew He wanted me to share with all of you! It talks about how the Word of God can change the image that you have on the inside, which is the key to any lasting change that you hope to see on the outside!

Here’s an excerpt from the Faith to Faith devotional written by Kenneth Copeland:

According to Romans, hope is actually looking at something you can’t see. How do you do that? You do it by looking at the promises of God in the Word until with your inner eyes- the eyes of your spirit- a picture is formed.

For example, one of the hardest things I ever had to do was face the fact that the inner image I had of myself physically was overweight. It didn’t matter how hard I tried to change, it wouldn’t go away. I was always on a diet. I must have lost (and regained) hundreds of pounds over the years.

I finally had to admit that as long as my inner image of myself was fat, my outer self was going to match it. Remember, it’s faith that changes things, and without the inner image of hope, faith cannot work.

So I decided to fast for seven days. I searched my bible for every scripture I could find on food and eating and I found many.

I meditated on every one of those scriptures and prayed for seven full days. What was I doing you may ask?! I was changing the image on the inside of me concerning my weight.

It wasn’t long before the new image I had on the inside began to shine on the outside. I began to see myself as the healthy, fit person that God created me to be, and over twenty years later, I have maintained my desired weight, (which is what I believe God created me to be at!)

I will tell you however, that this is not something that can be done overnight. It takes time. Especially if the inner image you’re changing has been there for years.

But you CAN do it and God wants to partner with you! I have seen thousands of people transformed by changing the image they have on the inside of themselves with the Word of God!

Go to the Word of God today and begin to change the images inside of you. Change them from the images of despair and defeat to images of hope! Let God give you a blueprint in your heart for what you are believing for, and let your faith build on it!

(Related Scripture Reading: Romans 4: 16-21)