Ugh...Why can't I be a couch potato??

In my freshman year of highschool my dad was out of work for 6 months. My mom ended up going to work and my dad stayed home to homeschool us!!
For the first semester he would sit me down everyday and teach from Proverbs 31! The whole first part of the school year revolved around those verses!
One of the days he was teaching
Proverbs 31:17- She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks.
He showed me that basically what this verse is saying is that this woman is not lazy and she is strong! Strong both emotionally and physically!
So today's topic is about EXERCISE!!!
What are the pros and cons of exercising??
Pros:
-You become healthier because more blood is flowing to your heart and you get more oxygen to your brain! Trust me this is good...lol!
-You have more energy! This is always good!
-You feel better! And are more productive!
-You become more toned and build muscle! "Her arms are strong for her tasks" :)
Cons:
I couldn't really think of any.... let me know if any of you come up with some!! lol!
So what are some types of exercising that you can do?
-Running!! After being a huge couch potato when I was younger I ended up running the Chicago Marathon!! It was a blast! But took 9 months of training at 3 in the morning! LOL
You don't have to go that far if you don't want...hehe!
-Tae Bo, this is alot of fun and a great workout!! You can get the videos basically anywhere:)
-Dance, this is probably the most fun for alot people! Plus it's a great place to make friends and wear fun outfits! I did Irish Dance for two years! It was so much fun and a GREAT workout!
-Sports, really any kind! It is a great workout and you have fun at the same time!
-Lifting weights, great for building up those muscles! Don't do ones that are too heavy though! Girls aren't very pretty with man looking muscles! lol!

Go out and do something! Just try it for a couple days and see how much better you will feel! Even if you don't want to start with something so vigorous walking is good!!
Starting this habit when your young is soooo important! And it's fun once you get into it!
Turn that TV off and go have fun!

Vision! Why do I need it?

So many people talk about vision and the need for one but I have met soooo many people who don't have one and don't even know where to start to get one!! One of the things that I often feel really sad about is I see soooo many people totally forget all their morals and go the opposite direction in their life!!
I've always wondered, why is that? What causes them to do that and why do others stay on the right path??
I came to the conclusion that it all has to do with vision!
Proverbs 29:18 - Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained, but happy is he who keeps the law.
So basically this verse is saying that when people don't have vision or purpose for their life from God, that they just run wild!
When you have a vision, that vision guides you and keeps you on course!!
Vision gives you the license to say no to anything that is outside of the vision because you know where your headed and what you can and can't do to accomplish that!
It helps make decisions and peer pressure a whole lot easier! I can easily say no to alot of peer pressure because I know that it won't take me anywhere but off my course!
An awesome book to read about vision that REALLY helped me in this area is called The Power of Vision. This is an excellent book and I highly recommend it!! A great thing to do today is to just take some time and get away, write down the things that you love to do, what you want to do in life, what you could do to change the world, and ask God how to do it all! Also, ask for him to give you purpose!! It will change your life!! Seriously!!

The power of a praying (future) wife!

Several years ago my parents told me that it was very important to start praying for my husband! My dad told me that someone had told him the same thing when he was young and he never did it because he didn't think it was that important...
My mom went through some REALLY rough times in her late teens, that could have been prevented had he been praying! So I decided that I would start praying!! lol! I did for a couple months and forgot about it and then just did it every once in awhile when I would remember...
Then about 2 years ago for school(I was homeschooled) we had to make different confessions/prayers for areas in our life, that we would pray every day!
Now when I was younger I had A LIST of what I wanted in a husband, had to be an architect, had to be 5'5", etc... LOL!! Now the list has somewhat dwindled to the really important things, being a strong Christian, strong leader, etc.
I decided to incorporate that list into my everyday confession!! It has really really helped!! I have a confession binder that I just open every morning and pray! It makes it super easy and I always remember to do it now!
Also, once you get married you will be praying for your husband a lot! So why not get a head start?? Here is the confession **click here** that you can download and customize for yourself or you can create your own!! Also any guys that are reading this you could always just change it to be for you wife:)
This is one of the most important things you could do for your future!!!
Have a very fun blessed day!
Sarah
PS. I got some people saying after reading this post, that the only person who would fit that confession is Jesus...I totally understand that NO ONE is perfect and I'm soooo not going to marry a perfect guy that practices all of those qualities 100% but I can definitely pray that God helps him in those areas!!! One of the things God loves is for us to be specific!!! :)

My own God.

So this morning I found all of my old notes for this book that I was going to write!! It has about a zillion topics that I could write about...so where to start is the hard part!! But! I decided that probably the best place to start would be with my relationship with God! Since that is above all the most important part of life!
I'll start with a little history, I got saved before I could remember...I think right when I could talk my parents had me say the prayer!! lol! I grew up in church and had a TON of friends. As time went on I started feeling more and more distant from God especially when I was around 13-14 years old... I remember laying in bed one night scared that I wasn't really saved! So I prayed and that was the time that I made Jesus MY savior not just my parents savior! That is such a huge key..especially when you grow up as a Christian! When you finally decide that you want to serve him not because you have to or your parents make you but because you love him so much that you want to! So from there I started growing more and more in my faith! And actually having my time with God without my parents having to tell me! This time in your life will come...or maybe it already has! Just take some time to check your heart and see where it is really at...
Would you go to church, have devotional time, talk to God, even if you parents weren't around?
I've come to the point now that I can not live without setting aside time for God!!
So today I challenge you to even if it's just for five minutes to get away and pray or read the bible! It will improve everything around you!!:)
Love you,
Sarah

Welcome to my new blog!!!

Hey guys!!
I decided to start this "Dear Natalie" blog because awhile ago one of my sisters friends was having a party called "Welcoming into Womanhood" where all the lady's brought a word of encouragement for the girl as she enters this new stage in her life. I decided to write a little something...and it turned into 3 pages full of things!! So I thought...hmm...maybe I should write a book...just about my different experiences and how to deal with life in general. Things that I have learned over the years! The reason I named it "Dear Natalie" is because my sister's "Welcoming into Womanhood" party is coming up....and I always wanted to present her with a book of advice...from someone who's JUST been there...but that didn't happen so here is a blog to do the job! And maybe one day this will become a book!? We'll see:) But for now welcome to this new blog I hope it is encouraging not only to younger girls but to everyone else who reads it!
Sarah