A Celebration of Sorts

Today we celebrated a couple of milestones.  This morning we assisted in the painting of the new sanctuary.  It was awesome to see how many people showed up to help.  Not only were there some from our church, but from sister churches and also some guys from the F.A.R.M. of Northwest Florida.  Everyone kept up a positive attitude and worked together as if it was something we did on a regular basis.  The painting of the sanctuary is a milestone for our church because it means growth.  Growth as a church and as a family.  

We also celebrated Granny's 80th birthday by having a surprise dinner with several family members.  I'm married into this family,  but they feel just like my own.

Nate, Granny Lodean, and Marie.

It's day 2 and I'm going strong with all of my "daily goals" except getting the 10,000 steps in.  The day isn't over yet so I'm determined to make it happen.  My mom called earlier and was eager to tell me that she had not only reached her goal for the day, but continued walking until she reached 10,000.  

Something interesting I read today was in the story of Noah and the Ark.  It rained for 40 days and nights while Noah was on the ark with his family and the animals, BUT did you know that the water stayed on the earth for 150 days???  Crazy to think about.

Christ's Love,
Katie Castaneda

A New Start

They say what you do on the first day of the year is what you'll be doing the rest of the year.  So, my day was spent with my husband, family, and working towards reaching my goals.  Sounds like a productive year ahead.  

The day started with me delivering a present to my Mom from my Dad.  He had me order her a Vivosmart so she could start keeping track of her steps.  Then Nate and I had a New Year's Day lunch at my Grandparents.  Black eyed peas made it on the table along with roast beef, green beans, mashed potatoes, biscuits, and peach cobbler.  

When we made it back to the house I was determined to complete all of my goals for the day...and I did.  I started off with cleaning for 30 minutes--starting with the dishes (my least favorite chore).  It wasn't as bad as I made it out to be.  Then I went straight into my Quiet Time.  I'm starting to read the entire Bible for the third year in a row.  This time I'm going straight through from beginning to end.  Today I read about all that God created, man's fall by temptation, and the consequences of their sin.  

The rest of the afternoon was spent cooking, watching Gilmore Girls, and trying to complete all 10,000 steps.  This is a task for sure.  I remember when I first got my Vivosmart and how hard it was just to reach about 5,000 steps.

A highlight to my day was being able to finish the "Loneliness" chapter in my book, Checklist for Life for Women.  The chapter was titled "Filling the Empty Heart" and talked about how even in our loneliness we are not alone.  God is always with us.  It helped me to focus on others who might be struggling in this particular area and to {hopefully} be an encouragement to them as well.

One of the rules I gave myself when I got this book was that I would go from start to finish, but I couldn't move on to the next topic until I completed all of the tasks for that particular checklist.  I was able to do that today by finishing my last two tasks: taking a walk outside and putting a picture in my purse to remind me that I'm loved.  The walk outside went better than I thought.  It was cold and I took our dog Maggie with me--we both survived.  The picture I put in my purse was one of my favorites from mine and Nate's engagement photo shoot.  

Since I finished that topic, I moved on to the next one titled "Style: Brains, Beauty, and Spiritual Balance".  This topic discusses how it's OK to pamper your outward appearance, but to especially consider the condition of your heart.  "The heart that seeks after God is the most beautiful thing in the world."

Overall, a very productive first day of 2016.  Pressing on to tomorrow.

Christ's Love,
Katie Castaneda